A Swimming Lesson
by Rouge1
Summary: Shinji/Rei. Shinji cannot swim, so Rei decides to teach him. From there, bonds are forged and romance blooms, though Asuka tries to prevent it. Chapter 5 has arrived at long last, so please enjoy.
1. Lunch

EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Lunch  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.  
  
"Spoken Dialogue"  
  
'Character Thought'  
  
Written Down  
  
  
-------  
  
Tokyo-3.  
  
The big city. Hell, THE city to be in. Or, perhaps, to not be in, depending upon how one looked at it.  
  
Home of NERV headquarters.......and the Third Child was bored.  
  
"Dammit!" Shinji Ikari exclaimed, hitting his head upon his locker rather intentionally, immediately feeling the pain of such a ridiculous move and figuring he'd probably earn himself a welt for it later on. Listening to lectures in class, no, this whole day, or maybe, this entire WEEK was annoying him to death by maintaining a steady degree of mundanity. No Angel attacks, no mechanical screw-ups or problems in synch or activation tests, not even any sort of deviation, be it mundane or extreme, among Asuka's insults. Hence, extreme boredom, for Shinji, anyway.  
  
"Hey, Shinji?" called out a familiar voice, as the Third Child brought his head back from the small dent his little stunt created and rotated immediately to spot Kensuke, with his camera as always, and Toji, somehow almost tripping over himself, coming over to him. "You alright, dude?"  
  
"Not really", Shinji replied as he brought a hand to his head to feel for a mark, "not when I'm bored out of my damned skull. It's as though the world decided to take a vacation for a week or something!"  
  
"Aww, come on, Shinji, don't tell me you're actually bothered by things being peaceful?" Toji said as he leaned against a nearby locker, folding his arms against his chest. "Even if for only a week, if that long at all?" he continued, ignoring Kensuke's romaing camera just enough to concentrate on Shinji.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but fall against his locker and sigh. "I guess it's just weird that way...I mean, with the Angels and all, you'd think they wouldn't let up like this. Hell, nothing at all has been out of the ordinary..."  
  
It was then that Shinji noticed that Kensuke more or less was staring at him through the camera and Toji had an eyebrow raised at him, which cause Shinji to sigh. "I'm just wishing there were a bit more to do."  
  
"Like what, Shinji, hmm, hmm?" Kensuke asked, never parting his eye from the camera's viwepiece. "Like maybe Asuka giving you lots of lip? Or perhaps Rei, hmm? Or maybe more than just their lips...maybe their breasts...maybe some ass..."  
  
"Gyah! No way!" Shinji cried out, blushing immediately. "Wh-what're you talking about?"  
  
Kensuke couldn't help but grin, knowing how vulnerable Shinji got around any kind of sex talk, especially about people he had reason to be close to, like Asuka or Rei, the Third Child's fellow EVA pilots. "What, are you telling me you HAVEN'T thought of that about them?"  
  
"H-h-hell no!" Shinji stammered out. "I...well....I just...it's that..."  
  
"Kensuke, cut it out!" Toji interjected, seeing Shinji on the verge of an immediate breakdown. 'Not as bad as our first *meeting* of my fists in his face', he admitted to himself with a sigh, 'but certainly never a good thing for a guy like him.'  
  
Toji quickly turned his attention back to Shinji and asked "Well, why not try an activity after school or something?"  
  
Shinji could only close his eyes a bit and somewhat sarcastically say, "I have enough of an 'afterschool activity' as is."  
  
"Maybe, dude", Kensuke thought out loud a he put the camera down and began to fidget amongst his things for a new disc, "but piloting EVA isn't exactly a full-time job, you know? More like an on-call kind of job, really. I mean, yeah, you're good with it and cool about it and stuff like that, but isn't there anything else you feel like doing in the meantime?"  
  
"Hmmm...." Shinji wondered as he left his locker and strode down the hallway, Kensuke and Toji following quickly to avoid being left behind in the mass of students departing school for the day. "Can't really say that I do..."  
  
"Debate?" was Kensuke's response.  
  
"Too lengthy." Shinji replied.  
  
"Track?"  
  
"Don't we more or less do that anyway?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, right. Maybe something in video recording?"  
  
"Your department."  
  
Kensuke laughed at that one. "I guess so! Hmm....hey, what about swimming?" he asked with a bit more expression, pointing up to the fenced rooftop, noting that the usual female swimmers were up there, practicing as always. But, after also noticing that Shinji had stopped like an anchor hitting the ocean floor, both Kensuke and Toji halted and looked at him. He appeared to have a slightly fearful look on his face, his eyes just a bit widened.  
  
"Umm, Shinji?" Toji called while waving a hand in front of his face.  
  
Shinji quickly blinked, as if having forgotten for but a few seconds, then looked at them, then down at the well-traveled asphalt. "S-sorry about that."  
  
"You looked like you'd seen a ghost, man." Toji said while giving Shinji a playful punch on the shoulder. "Swimming not your thing?"  
  
"Well....i...it's not that....I just...well...kinda...can't swim."  
  
Suzuhara and Kensuke both gave him rather stoned looks for a minute. "Since when?" Toji questioned to break the odd silence that had fallen between them.  
  
"Just never could", was Shinji's reply, his voice sounding as bored as his face looking tired.  
  
"Oh, come on, man, you can't be serious!" Toji exclaimed. "Not even as a kid out in the ocean or anything?"  
  
"No, I didn't", Shinji said rather sharply as his eyes began to sting a little from being annoyed. "Can we get off this topic, please?"  
  
"Ok, ok, dude!" Kensuke called, aiming his camera right at Shinji's face. "Just don't drown us in your sorrows!"  
  
Shinji couldn't help but continue to look downward and avert his eyes from Kensuke's digital filming, wondering if the two of them would ever let him live down this little confession he'd just made...  
  
"Ikari." a much different voice called out. A calm, controlled voice. Shinji immediately thanked fate rather hastily as he looked up and locked eyes with a blue-haired, pale-skinned girl only a bit shorter than him. The First Child, Rei Ayanami.  
Naturally, Touji was keeping his cool, while Kensuke spun himself and the camera to face Rei with the speed and accuracy of a well-trained sniper.  
  
"Umm, hiya, Rei..." Shinji managed to get out, his cheeks feeling a little flushed, knowing who was with him and what they might say or do.  
  
Rei wasted no movement in approaching further, stepping between Touji and Kensuke and coming forth in front of Shinji. "I am required to speak with you." Again, in the controlled, often emotionless voice. After a brief pause and a quick look, she turned to Kensuke's camera, looking straight into the lens, and without hesitation, calmly said, "If you would excuse us, please."  
  
"Umm, yeah, sure! No problem, yeah!" Kensuke called out as he and Suzuhara quickly got the implied hint and walked on at a deliberate, brisk pace. Either one would prefer having to deal with Asuka on a bad day than wondering what Rei might do if intruded upon. To them, and the world at large, as far as they were concerned, she was a blank book, unreadable. "Catch you later, Shinji!" Toji yelled back at them before the pair vanished from sight.  
  
It was only then that Shinji noticed a small noise. A giggle, to be more precise. Escpaing from Rei's lips. 'Rei giggling? That's certainly new', Shinji thought. "What's so funny?" he quickly asked.  
  
"Just them. Taking off so quicky when I asked them to." A slight smile was now upon her face, but Shinji couldn't really figure why. She always seemed so distant in the classrooms, looking as bored everyday as he was right now. Her face quickly showed seriousness. "Are you busy at the moment, Shinji?"  
  
"Not at all, Rei. I was just heading home and talking with those two", he replied. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Rei stole a glance at the city view, then truned her attention back to Shinji. "No. Personal."  
  
"Personal? What do you mean, Rei?" he asked while giving her a questioning look.  
  
Rei's only response was to say, "Come with me, please." She then began to walk there, in a manner that seemed as if she had never broken stride to talk to Shinji in the first place.  
  
'What exactly does she want?' he thought as he followed along without another word.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
In the next hour, Shinji got his answer. Well, sort of, anyway.  
  
Images of ocean waves went through his eyes as he gazed upon the water and it's current user. He could only marvel at how gracefully he could see Rei swim through the water. Though mostly on the surface, she seemed to stroke and kick across the marked lane with the skill and ease of a mermaid, as if it came as naturally to her as piloting Unit-00 did.  
  
'I can't believe I feel so jealous', he thought in a rather guilty manner as she concluded her swim, climbed out of the pool, and came over to Shinji, drying herself off with a towel and looking rather attractive in her tight black onepiece swimsuit. Shinji immediately kicked himself mentally for having that thought.  
  
"So, how do you think I did?" Rei asked, interrupting Shinji's mental self-punishment.  
  
"H-huh?" Shinji asked back, a confused look on his face.  
  
"Do you think I'm getting better at this?"  
  
"Uh....um...that little, err, long run you just did?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Shinji could feel Rei's eyes upon him, as if trying to either read him or judge him. But he knew she only wanted an answer.  
  
"I.....I don't know", was his answer.  
  
Rei cocked her head slightly and looked at his downcast face. "But, didn't you just watch me?"  
  
"W-w-well, yeah, I guess.."  
  
"Then why do you not know?"  
  
"I just don't know, okay!?!" Shinji yelled, startling Rei and causing her to stare at him a bit. Not in a threatening Asuka-like way, just a stare like any normal person would.  
  
It was then that both Shinji and Rei noticed after the silence that the former was making sounds. Sounds of sadness. 'He's...crying?' Rei quickly noted as she could see a few tears rolling down Shinji's face. Offering him a smaller towel, she quickly said, "I apologize, Shinji. I did not mean to cause you to do that."  
  
Shinji eagerly took the towel and dried his eyes off, feeling like he had made an ass of himself. He was thankful it was in front of Rei and not Asuka, who would've wasted no time in jumping on his sensitivity. "No, Rei, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I yelled at you without a good reason."  
  
Rei bowed her head, feeling the water slowly drip down onto the towel. "I forgive you. But...why did you yell? I don't understand", she quietly said, wiping excess water and newly formed sweat off of her forehead.  
  
Calming himself down, Shinji set the hand towel at Rei's side. "It's just that...well....I can't swim."  
  
"You're unable to swim?"  
  
"No, nothing like that. It's not that I can't because of my body. It's...umm...I don't know how." Shinji felt his face flush again, but didn't feel the urge to cry this time.  
  
"You mean you haven't had training."  
  
"Yeah", Shinji sighed and curled up, his chin resting upon his knees. He couldn't bring himself to look away from the hypnotizing look of the pool until he felt a hand of Rei's resting upon his knee, causing him to look at her. "Is it that surprising?"  
  
"I'm not sure. You have had different experiences, but it seems as though this is natural to everyone around here."  
  
"Not to me, Rei.." Shinji said as he stood up and stretched out a little, knowing he had to get moving soon if he was going to get home and cook something fast to avoid another of Misato's dinner disasters, not to mention Asuka's hounding about him being late. "But...for whatever it's worth, you looked great."  
  
Rei smiled even brighter, and again Shinji couldn't help but feel surprised that she was. He had never known her to smile before, except after rescuing her from her entry plug in the incident involving the 4th Angel. "Thank you, Shinji."  
  
"No problem, Rei, but I have to go. Dinner will be hell if I don't go start home soon."  
  
Rei stood up and slightly bowed to him. "Of course. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Umm, yeah!" Shinji said as he gave her a wave, picked up his backpack, and took off into a jog into the school. He still felt a bit surprised, but somewhat glad, to see Rei wave back as he exited the school doors and onto the street, heading for home. For once this week, Shinji felt better. At least something had happened now, and it had been pretty good to let some steam out with someone he, for some reason unknown even to himself, could trust with such embarrassing secrets.  
  
Rei also felt rather good, though she herself didn't know why. While her usual demeanor had been enough to get a chance to talk to Shinji for once without his unofficial posse on his heels, she hadn't thought it would ever turn into a sort of confession on the part of the Third Child. She couldn't help but understand how he felt, though. That feeling of powerlessness had come across her every time Unit-00 entered battle and had been slagged in one form or another. While not the same thing, it was something she could relate to, at least on a basic level.  
  
She quickly began to undress and re-dress, deciding to do something about it.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
A few hours later, Shinji was back at home in Misato's apartment. (Truly, he thought, the only home he had now.) Fortunately, Asuka had been out upon his arrival, leaving a note that she had gone shopping for some food to keep the both of them from having to experience any of Misato's disastrous dinners.   
  
Not that it stopped her from giving him the usual amount of harassment when he got home. Things such as where he was and what he had been doing, as well as the usual amount of teasing and scorn he recieved from hanging around Rei or avoiding Asuka, usually both.  
  
"No Stooges to gawk at Wondergirl with you today, hmm, Third Child?" Asuka asked as a smirk appeared on her face while handing Shinji a soda and placing a 12-pack on the floor.  
  
"No," was his flat reply. "Rei gave them her usual look and they split."  
  
Asuka simple snorted. "Can't blame them. They'd much rather go looking for me, wouldn't they, Shinji?" she thought aloud.  
  
"Well," he answered, "Kensuke does still profit greatly from your photos."  
  
"WHAAAAAAT!?!?!" Asuka's face immediately turned angry. "The little ingrate, I ought to be having a part of those profits, dammit!"  
  
Shinji immediately looked at her after taking opening his soda can and taking a sip. "What for? Doesn't NERV salary pay better?"  
  
Asuka's only response was to get up in his face, making his eyes widen and his body stiffen up as she snarled at him while a finger was pointed at his face. "Maybe, Third Child, but don't forget that I, Asuka Langley Sorhyu, am the model for those pictures that he gets that money from! As a natural result," she continued, striking a standing pose with one hand on her hips and the other flipping her hair, "I should be getting at least half of his earnings!" She then sat down upon the floor, opening her own can and chugging the liquid with amazing speed.  
  
Shinji simply sighed. "Just let him be. It's not like he takes those pictures anymore."  
  
"Hmph!" Asuka exclaimed after she set her can down and quietly gulped. "Fine. But only because he's your friend, Third Child," she said, giving him a sneer in the process. "Otherwise, I would've already gotten it from him, one way or another." As she said the last part, she had a bit of a look in her eye that rattled Shinji's nerves, making him wonder if she really would resort to more violent (or seductive, for that matter) methods of persuasion, just for a little cash.  
  
His concentration on that train of thought was soon broken as his eyes saw flashing images across the TV, hearing Asuka blatantly pressing buttons on her remote.  
  
"Aww, this sucks!" the Second Child whined as she let her shoulders sag in surrender. She halfheartedly tossed the remote to Shinji, but failed in reaching him as it bounced a little and slid to a halt near his hand. "I'm off to bed,and I want to sleep in tomorrow, so don't keep me up. Got it?" she questioned with a smirk.  
  
Shinji slowly let out his breath (which he realized he had been holding for some odd reason) and replied, "Got it. Good night, Asuka."  
  
"Yeah, yeah..." Asuka quickly got up, taking her can with her to the kitchen as Shinji remained on the floor, fipped to a nature channel and put on the earphones for his SDAT, deciding to stay up for maybe another hour before going off to bed, so as not to bother Asuka too much. A small noise in the kitchen confirmed that she had thrown the can out. He could easily hear her walking out of the kitchen as a shrill noise interrupted his calm state. 'The phone, no doubt,' he thought to himself.  
  
As for Asuka, she nearly shrieked. "YAAH!" She then got disgusted as she marched over to the phone, letting her thoughts drift a bit. 'Jeez, that's annoying. And I wanted a good amount of sleep, too. Oh, well, it's probably Misato calling, saying she's gonna be late again. Or, is it Kaji? I would SOOOOOO love it to be Kaji!' she finished as she picked up the phone and in one of her sweeter voices called, "Hellooo?"  
  
"Ikari, please." The First Child's voice, though flat as usual, nevertheless came clear over the receiver.  
  
Asuka's face immediately fell, feeling rather disgusted for getting her hopes up. "Oh, it's you."  
  
"Shinji Ikari, please."   
  
Asuka felt annoyed at such a dull response. "Ugh! Can't you say something different, Ayanami?"  
  
The Second Child then heard a rather deliberate exhale over the phone, then Rei's response. "I wish to speak to Shinji Ikari. Please do not make me ask again."  
  
"Oooooooh!" Asuka mocked at Rei, feeling her temper flaring as she gritted her teeth and felt an urge to slap Rei, if she could. She concentrated for a few seconds to let it die down. "Fine, then, Wondergirl, I'll get your precious Shinji for you." She quickly took the phone with her, marched over to Shinji, and roughly pushed the SDAT out of Shinji's hands, causing the Third Child to fall over in disorientation.  
  
Shinji quickly looked up at Asuka. "Huh? Wha? What is it?"  
  
"The phone, stupid!" Asuka angrily replied as she thrust the phone almost literally in his face. "For you. It's Ayanami."  
  
"Rei...?" Shinji asked, looking rather dumbfounded.  
  
"Of COURSE it's Rei!" Asuka exclaimed as Shinji delicately took hold of the phone from her hand. "Who in the hell do you think it is, Third Child?"  
  
Shinji nervously gulped. "I'm sorry."  
  
That set Asuka off. "ARRGGHH!" she cried out, up in Shinji's face again. "For God's sake, stop apologizing for everything! It's annoying as hell! Be a man and suck it up a bit, for once, you gutless twit!"  
  
Shinji's mouth opened as he was about to apologize again, but let silence take precedence as he said nothing as Asuka got back up and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Hmm," she thought aloud as she regarded Shinji with a softer look. "Maybe you're learning after all." She quickly turned and moved towards her room, then swiveled back to him as he nearly had the phone to his ear. "Don't talk to your girlie too long, Shinji."  
  
Shinji felt a bit faint at hearing those words. "I-It's nothing like that, Asuka..."  
  
"Fine, fine, if you say so," the Second Child replied in a teasing manner as she stepped into her room and slid the panel shut. Shinji waited for but a few seconds before placing the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"   
  
"Ikari...?" Rei's voice projected itself clearly to his ear.  
  
"Y-yeah, I'm here," he stammered. "S-sorry about the delay. Asuka and I were arguing.."  
  
Rei paid it no heed and continued. "Meet me after school again tomorrow."  
  
"T-tomorrow..?" Needless to say, Shinji felt nervous. (But, then again, when doesn't he?)  
  
"Yes," was the calm reply. "At the pool. After classes."  
  
"Uh, umm....well, alright."   
  
"See you tomorrow. Goodbye." A clicking sound, followed by a familiar droning noise (which everyone has heard, yet can never truly describe) made him quickly hang up the phone, knowing Rei had already done so on her end.  
  
'I never knew Rei had a phone,' Shinji thought. He hadn't noticed one when he had visited her place for the first time in a rather pitiful attempt to deliver her new security card which, to the Third Child anyway, had become an embarrassing debacle, him being on top of her prone, nude form, not to mention his first real look at a girl in the nude. Shinji then mentally kicked himself, not only to end his current set of thoughts, but also to remind himself that it's be too damned weird in the first place to live in any technological area like Tokyo-3 and not to have something as simple in purpose as a telephone.  
  
Those thoughts more or less disappeared when Shinji looked at the clock, noting that it was later than usual. 'Shit!' He moved swiftly but surely to turn off the TV, then footpadded his way to his room, hoping like hell that Asuka didn't chew him out yet again.  
  
Luck seemed to be on Shinji's side this evening, as he was able to get his panel slid open and slip into his room without incident. He quickly set his SDAT upon his school pack, deciding for a change of pace in sleeping tonight. As he slipped into his bed and got himself covered in the sheets, he once again let his thoughts drift to the enigmatic First Child.......  
  
'Why does she want to see me tomorrow? Did I upset her with that outburst earlier today? I didn't mean to. Thank God Asuka decided not to go after me any more than she had for that call. But, still, Ayanami? Calling me? Maybe she just wants to talk. It's not as though it's a bad thing, is it? I mean, it's just a call, right? Yeah, it's just a call, nothing more. But, Ayanami....'  
  
His conscious thoughts were no more as his subconscious rose from the mess of his brain and soothed him into a gentle slumber.   
  
Later, unknown to anyone, the sheets also rose, just a bit, in the groin region.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
BEEP.  
  
One second later...BEEP.  
  
Another second, another BEEP.  
  
It was on this third BEEP that the Third Child's eyes fluttered open. Noting what had caused him to awaken, he scrambled out of bed and turned the alarm off before sitting upright and breathing slowly a few times to calm himself.   
  
'So, why is there still beeping?' he thought, his mind quickly racing for an answer. His eyes, however, found it faster, knowing immediately where the origin of that same noise was.  
  
Her room.  
  
Fortunately for him, he didn't hear the beeping sequence continue for much longer as he heard her begin to curse in German and undoubtedly turn her own clock's alarm system off. He got into action, changing into a new uniform and undergarments, figuring he had about 2 minutes to start getting their breakfast and lunches ready before Asuka started in on her bitching. As he heard her humming to herself softly ('Since when does she do that?' he wondered), he reassessed his situation and gave himself 5 minutes instead. That didn't stop him from dressing like Misato when she had been caught near Kaji in times past and setting his shoes and pack near the door to be ready for the departure to school.  
  
Shinji promptly got to work, getting bread in the toaster and placing a couple of fruit drinks in the respective lunch bags for him and Asuka when he began to hear mumbling. He hesitated after getting bread for sandwich assembly, but after half a minute decided to pay the chatter no mind and quickly resumed his work, getting the sandwiches ready and placed as the toast popped up, causing him to hastily place the slices on separate plates and onto the table before raiding the refrigerator for some fruit...  
  
"URRRRRGH! IDIOT!" Shinji heard as his ears also picked up stomps across the floor and his eyes registered Asuka marching past him in her school outfit, opening the electric entry door to the apartment and leaving in less time than it took for him to register all of this with his brain devoted to his current task. He blinked a few times, then quickly stuffed the lunch bags into his pack, wondering what had led to that particular outburst. 'Not that she usually has reason to,' he thought to himself.  
  
Another sound of the door opening. 'Maybe she came back?' Shinji wondered. But a slower walk and a loud yawn indicated otherwise as Misato came into view, leaning against a wall and casually drinking out of a beer can.  
  
'Not her usual brand,' he noted. "Rough night at NERV, Miasto?" Shinji then asked.  
  
Misato answered after a few more chugs. "Yeah. Just a longer shift than usual, that's all." And Shinji could easily see it, red lines within the white of her eyes revealing her fatigue. Nevertheless, she offered a weary smile to the boy.   
  
"You sure that's all?" Shinji said as he moved past her to the door and began to get his shoes on.  
  
Misato waved her hand up and down, in that manner that was meant to be her gentle way of blowing off a question. "Yeah, don't worry about it!" she finished, giving him another smile and tossing the can into the trash. But then, her face turned rather solemn. "Were you and Asuka fighting again?"  
  
"Uh, well, yes and no." he replied, hoping she let him go soon.  
  
"What do you mean 'yes and no'?" Misato gave him an odd look.  
  
"W-Well, she gave me a remark and just kinda....left.... after that." He held up her lunch bag. "Forgot to grab her food, too."  
  
Misato sighed. "Well, alright. Have a good day at school!" she exclaimed halfheartedly as she closed the door to her room and gracefully passed out on her mat, snoring rather loudly after a few seconds.  
  
Shinji then heard a buzz at the door. 'Maybe she did come back for her lunch.'  
  
But as he opened the sliding door, two familiar voices greeted him.  
  
"Good morning, Shinji! And Misato!" sang out the voices of Toji and Kensuke as they greeted him in unison.  
  
"Morning," Shinji replied, sighing and stepping out to begin walking with his friends to school.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
10 minutes later....  
  
The Three Stooges were walking along a street at a brisk, yet relaxed pace to reach the school. It was only now that Shinji, walking alongside and in between then instead of behind them as usual, noticed a small, but noticeable red mark on Toji's cheek.  
  
"Hey, Toji.."  
  
"Hmm? Wha?" Suzuhara turned his head to face Shinji.  
  
"Why do you have a mark on your face..?"  
  
Toji winced and rubbed the red skin with his hand. "Oh, this? We bumped into Asuka, and I asked her why you weren't with her. Got a stinging slap for my answer as she walked by. Ugh, she's such a bitch a times, man."  
  
"Maybe," Kensuke interjected, "but she sure makes for great pictures!"  
  
That caused a sudden snap in Shinji's mind, causing him to remember the previous night's events. "Hey, Kensuke...do you still sell photos of Asuka around school?"  
  
Kensuke's eyes lit up as if they'd been set afire. "Every time anyone asks for some! Why, you wanna buy some too, Shinji?"  
  
"No way, man. You gotta be out of your mind to want to have pictures of her." Toji interrupted, still grimacing from his injury. "Besides, Shinji, wouldn't that be rather stupid financially? I mean, you see her every day, you work with her, and you live with her, to boot."  
  
"It's not like that.." Shinji began.  
  
"Well, then, just what is it like?" Kensuke questioned, interrupting the Third Child.  
  
"It's...well...Asuka's gonna be after you today, Kensuke."  
  
"Whaaa? Say what?" Ida replied, his face getting a bit panicky.  
  
"Yeah. She and I were kinda arguing last night, and, well, I think she wants half of your photo profits, simply because she's the model for them." Shinji stated. "And I get the feeling she'll knock you silly to do it, too."  
  
"Aww, man!" Kensuke let his videocamera droop as his face became rather sullen. "That's the last thing I need right now! I already spent most of that money on new video discs and games! Great, this is gonna suck."  
  
Toji gave a small laugh. "Ha! No way we're gonna let that redhead get to you, Kensuke. Right, Shinji?"  
  
"Umm, actually....no can do, guys." Shinji felt kinda trapped being in between the two of them like this when he said that.  
  
Both Kensuke and Toji stopped, and pivoted themselves to face Shinji. "And why not?" they demanded together, almost as if unified themselves somehow.  
  
"I...well....um...I...it's just..."  
  
"What are you waiting for? Spit it out!" they nearly yelled, again in almost perfect unison.  
  
"I have to meet Rei today, that's all." Shinji quickly felt his face warming up.  
  
"The Ayanami chick?" Toji gave the Third Child an odd look. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know," was Shinji's reply. "She didn't say why. She just asked me to meet up with me after school, like yesterday."  
  
"Oooooh, having another secret meeting, eh, Shinji?" Toji said, giving him a teasing pat on the back.  
  
Shinji's cheeks felt even hotter now. "N-no, it's nothing, really."  
  
Both Toji and Kensuke smirked. "Nothing, huh? So is she like your girlfriend now or something, if it's that much of a 'nothing' to you?" Kensuke responded, focusing his camera on Shinji's reddened face.  
  
Shinji decided he'd had enough of this pestering. "Cut it out, will you? She's not my girlfriend!" he yelled into the camera, nearly throwing Ida off-balance.   
  
"Whoa, whoa, okay, easy, Shinji." Toji pleaded, but only halfheartedly as he and Kensuke resumed taking the lead positions and once again started towards school.  
  
Shinji began to open his mouth for an apology, but remembered Asuka's words from last night and decided against it for the moment, letting out a sigh as the three of them walked to school without any more conversation. Well, without any more conversation from Shinji, anyway.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Fortune seemed to be on the side of the Third Child as he was able to get through most of the morning classes without incurring any insults from Asuka or teasing from Toji. As usual, the sensei was droning on about the Second Impact (well, the abridged version of Second Impact, seeing as how Shinji was informed differently by Dr. Akagi). Today, the sensei seemed to be discussing the ramifications of it in regard to the food industry.  
  
Shinji sighed. 'God, this is so boring.' Without even thinking about it, he turned his head from his laptop, swiveling it to his left to get a look a row or two back, where Rei was sitting at her desk, serene and calm, gazing out the window.  
  
Shinji could feel his heart beating just a bit faster as his eyes stayed upon her. 'Maybe she really dows live in her own world...'  
  
It was then that he noticed that her eyes had shifted. Though her face was still pointed at the window, her scarlet eyes had turned themselves to focus upon his own, her lids blinking a few times, as if trying to believe an impossibility. As if the world itself were in slow motion, her head then turned from the window to slowly face his gaze, their eyes locking in what could have easily seemed to frighten the Third Child, reminding him of the times when he had to look into the cold eyes of his father.  
  
Then, her lips curved upward. She was smiling.  
  
Right at him.  
  
Shinji could do little more than open his mouth a bit in pure awe.  
  
'Is....is she really smiling? Is this a dream?'  
  
Too bad it couldn't last forever.  
  
"HEY, SHINJI!" It was Toji's voice.  
  
Immediately, Shinji felt the back of his head slapped a bit as he tilted forward, a bit off-balance from his staring. Almost as quickly did Shinji blink his eyes and turn his head back to Suzuhara's overly grinning face. "Wh-what's up, Toji?"  
  
"Lunchtime, man!" he responded with delight. "The greatest time of the school day!"  
  
'Oh, shit,' Shinji thought. 'I forgot to give Asuka her lunch! She's gonna kill me!'  
  
As if on some kind of unknown cue, another hand whopped him and caused him to fall out of his desk, Toji bumping into Kensuke from springing backward, Kensuke nearly dropping his beloved camera. This hand, Shinji knew, was hers, feeling as though it had much more vicuosness in it.  
  
"Shinji, you idiot!" Asuka yelled, despite the Third Child's predicament as he struggled to get on his feet. "Where's my lunch, you dork?" she continued, trying to restrain herself from assaulting him with her bag when he meekly handed a bag to her.  
  
"H-h-here you go, Asuka. I'm sorry..."  
  
Asuka paid his apology no heed as she quickly looked into the bag to examine the contents. A soda, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, and a slightly over-ripened banana. She hurriedly threw the sack back at him.  
  
"Shinji, you suck! This was the best you could come up with?" With that, she gave him another upset look.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't have much time this morning..."  
  
"URGH!" she cried, slapping him again, making Shinji wonder if his skin was toughening up to being slapped so much by her. "You never learn, do you?"  
  
"Wh-wha...?" Shinji stammered.  
  
"This soooo sucks! I guess I'm just gonna have to eat with Hikari then. Hmph!" Asuka then made her way over to the class rep, the angry face having been replaced by her usual confident smirk, and began chatting with her. Fortunately, the Three Stooges were far enough away so they didn't have to put up with hearing her bitch and complain.  
  
Kensuke then patted Shinji on the back, putting the Third Child's senses back to normal. "Guess you got lucky today, huh?"  
  
"Don't bet on it, Kensuke." Toji was frowning a bit. "He's still gotta go home to her. Man, you fight a neverending battle with that girl, don't you, Shinji?"  
  
Shinji was looking downtrodden, lost in thought. 'Hmm, maybe...yeah, that'll work!'  
  
Then his face brightened up a bit. "You want her lunch, Toji?" Shinji asked Suzuhara, knowing he was called Toji the Stomach by none other than Kensuke himself for his ravenous and well-known appetite.  
  
"I..I would, but I promised my sister I'd see her early today. And class is so boring anyway, so I told her I'd leave at about this time. Sorry, Shinji." Toji concluded.  
  
The Third Child could do little more than frown. But then, Toji's face lit up again, in that grin that Shinji, at times, envied. "But don't worry, I'll take a raincheck on that lunch! Maybe tomorrow, eh? Assuming the She-devil doesn't get it first!"   
  
The three friends then shared a laugh together over that comment, one of the few laughs they ever shared involving all three of them. But it quickly died after a few more seconds, after which Toji got up, waved to Shinji and Kensuke, and strode out of the classroom, fully intent on his course of action.  
  
The remaining two Stooges sighed, almost slumping in their desks.  
  
Today was still going to be a long day.  
  
It was then that Shinji heard a slight ruffle on his desk. He turned, wondernig about if Rei was still looking at him....and her seat was empty.  
  
Shinji mentally kicked himself, knowing he wanted to see if she had left, but also knowing that it might not matter anyway. But then his eyes traveled downward and saw a scrap piece of notebook paper.  
  
'Must've dropped this out of my notes,' he thought, taking it and almost beginning to crumple it when he noticed the writing.  
  
  
  
To Shinji:  
  
  
Meet me on the roof.  
  
  
Sincerely,   
Rei Ayanami.  
  
  
  
Shinji's eyes went wide as his brain began to understand the note.  
  
'She wants to see me on the school rooftop now? What for...?'  
  
His cheeks suddenly felt warm with blood as he realized that Kensuke was viewing the note as well, the camera clearly pointed at it.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for, Ikari?" Ida grinned at his blushing companion. "Go for it!"  
  
Shinji couldn't exactly find a proper way to react. "I...erm...um...wha...?"  
  
Kensuke gave him a bit of a goofy grin, which seemed to easily stand apart from Toji's more confident, stomach-driven grin. "I'll keep the class rep and Asuka off your back, ok?"  
  
"Umm.......ok, I guess." Shinji crawled out of his seat, his cheek still feeling the sting of Asuka's slap, but he felt his steps that were leading out of the classroom were a bit...reluctant. He was afraid, and he knew it.   
  
Naturally, Kensuke noticed this. "Get going, Shinji! You might not get another chance like this! If she's asking for your attention, you shouldn't pass it up. Even if it's only lunchtime. Ayanami is rather selective in who she associates herself with, y'know?"   
  
Shinji, feeling his strength come back, gave an affirming nod and got moving out of the classroom. Fortunately for him, neither Asuka nor Hikari really noticed his dpearture from the room, though Kensuke still took it upon himself to shield Shinji from their view as he departed.  
  
  
However, Ida also noticed that he was still in the classroom. And he forgot to pack a lunch. He mentally cursed himself for that. At least he had his camera.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
On the rooftop...  
  
Rei Ayanami could only feel the slightest of wind currents blowing, her hair gently swaying from it and her soul feeling just a bit uplifted by it. The wind was one of the few things she could truly enjoy without a need for expression.  
  
'Is that what you are, Shinji?' she thought as her mind began to wander, for the time passed between her subtle, yet intentional dropping of the note to the Thrid Child and her arrival on the rooftop. 'Are you like the wind? Calm, yet volatile at times? You rarely express, yet always is your presence felt. Are you like the wind, Shinji?'  
  
A dragging noise interrupted her thoughts, as did deliberate, yet careful footsteps. Footsteps that were getting just slightly louder.  
  
As she slowly turned around, Rei could see Shinji stop nearly dead in his tracks, like a thief who had just been caught trying to tail his victim. His eyes had widened, and his breathing was a bit heavy, and seemed to be sweating a tad more than usual. She could only guess that he had somehow gotten lost in trying to find her here. Though the concept of lost was alien to Rei (more or less, anyway), it wasn't hard for her to believe that Shinji was the kind of person who could find himself easily lost, be it in the hallways of the school, or of his own heart and soul. 'Is Shinji lost right now in that very realm?'  
  
On Shinji's side, his feet were still carrying him towards Rei, but in a slow way, as if trying to navigate a narrow bridge. Each new step brought with it more nervousness and doubt. So much, in fact, that Shinji thought he was sweating bullets. Yet, he continued walking, and soon met with the First Child at the metal guard rail.  
  
Her face remained as it usually did, though she bowed her head in greeting. "Ikari."  
Shinji, in return, could only stammer, yet again. "H-hello, Ayanami..."  
  
Once her head raised itself, their eyes met again, her unrevealing, yet soothing gaze making the Third Child feel as if he was going to faint. This gaze seemed to persist for a few minutes, as the two of them became rather locked in an awkward silence.  
  
Finally, Shinji broke the ice, deciding to focus on something he knew, and not something he was feeling. "Rei....I...um.."  
  
Again, her look revealed nothing. "What is it?"  
  
Shinji took a deep breath, than asked, "Why did you invite me up here? I...I thought you wanted me meet me after classes let out."  
  
"Yes. I still do. Do you not wish to see me after school?"  
  
"W-w-well, yeah....but why here as well?" As he was saying this, Shinji was also silently praying that this could at least go well. He could endure Angel battles, Unit 01 going berserk, and even night after night of Asuka's ranting and whining. Even the slaps were common enough for him to take. Dealing with Rei was another matter. Despite the time they had spent together working, as well as the two times he had been in her apartment, he still knew very little of the blue-haired female before him.  
  
"I...do not know." Rei's face was now looking out beyond the balcony, out to the city, though she hadn't moved from where she was standing.  
  
'I musn't run away, I musn't run away...' Shinji mentally repeated to himself, but he knew his nerve was fading quickly. So, he decided to try and say something...  
  
'Hey, Shinji! Don't forget!' This was Toji's voice. In his head.  
  
Almost as if acting on instinct, Shinji's hand found its way into his bag, searching for something, silently giving his friend thanks as he quickly pulled out the lunch that Asuka rejected earlier.  
  
Looking up, he could see that Rei was still looking out at the horizon, as if her interest in talking with him had already faded. He then spoke. "Rei?"  
  
Ayanami finally turned back to him, thankful he hadn't gone on his usual course of action in such situations. Her eyes again bore down upon him. "Yes?"  
  
Slowly, he pulled out the plastic lunch bag and quickly explained himself as he did. "Well....I made two....two lunches....and Asuka didn't take hers...wanted to eat with Hikari...and..well..." 'Shit, this is difficult!' his mind cursed.  
  
Rei did litte more than cock her head at him slightly.   
  
Shinji felt horrible, as if he was going to lose this battle, whatever kind of battle it might be. But he had to finish it. He was too involved now. He stepped forward, offered the bag in her direction, and asked, "Would you wish to eat lunch with me?" 'Please, God, don't let me faint for sounding so pathetic!'  
  
For the second time that day, he watched her smile. Like before, he was astounded by it. He somehow wodered why he kept thinking of a flower blooming whenever she did that. It simply amazed him.  
  
At least, until her hands clasped upon the bag, shocking him out of the situation.  
"I....I would like that. Thank you, Shinji."  
  
Thank you.  
  
The last time he had heard those words, it had been from a selfless, yet simple act. Shinji and Toji had gone to Rei's apartment to deliver bulletins on Suzuhara's behalf. Before she had arrived, Shinji had taken it upon himself to clean up the trash near herbedside, despite Toji's warnings that she'd be pissed about it. When the words had been spoken, he had noticed her cheeks a rather attracting shade of pink, her eyes having gone as wide as his, as if it hadn't been expected. The same shade of pink that her cheeks were showing right now.   
  
Shinji's mind was in such a comforting daze, he almost forgot exactly what was in the lunch he had just given her. 'Shit!'  
  
Without even thinking, he sent his hand, slowly, into her bag, feeling for her sandwich. Her face showed only a bit of surprise as she gasped just a little at his sudden course of action.  
  
"What....are you doing?" she wondered aloud as the Third Child quickly removed the sandwich from her bag.  
  
"You said once that you dislike eating meat, right?" he replied as he unwrapped the sandwich and removed the ham from it's bread and cheese brethren.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Shinji then brought his own sandwich out and put the meat in his own lunch bag, offernig a nervous smile to her. "W-well, I wasn't expecting this....I mean, I originally made it for Asuka....erm...um..."  
  
When he looked up, her eyes had brightened just a bit as she took in another breath. "That was very thoughful of you."  
  
Thoughtful. Again, words she had never used before with anyone, as far as either one of them knew.   
  
Shinji's only response was a small smile, trying to hide how shaky he really was, though it wasn't nearly as bad as a few minutes ago. So nervous, in fact, that when he brought an item to his mouth and bit down, his teeth clamped down on something very hard and his brain registered a slight shock.   
  
An instant later, he looked down slightly, only to find that he had tried to sink his teeth into a soda can. "YEOW!" he cried, slamming his eyes shut and feeling embarrassed almost immediately.   
  
Another noise alerted him to his fellow pilot, and the fact that her hand was over her mouth, no doubt stifling a giggle.  
  
"I..I'm sorry...I feel so stupid.." Shinji said as her hand slowly fell back to her bag and her face again converted back into a smile at her companion.  
  
"Let's eat." With that, Rei sat upon the hard asphalt of the rooftop with her back to the guard rail and took out the contents of her lunch, examining them quietly. Shinji followed suit, but as Rei was about to bite into her fruit, Shinji looked at her. "H-hold on, Rei."  
  
"What for?"  
  
'Dammit!' he thought, not having an excuse. Then he came up with one. "Um, well...wmm, why don't we make a toast?"  
  
Ayanami was confused. "A toast? What is that?"  
  
Shinji mentally kicked himself, reminding himself that he only knew what it was thanks to his beer-chugging guardian. "W-w-well, it's when you...when you take a sip together, f-for a good reason."  
  
The odd look the First Child was giving him indicated that he hadn't helped by trying to explain it. "I am sorry. I do not understand."  
  
"Umm ok, I'll tell you how, I guess. Can't hurt to learn, right? I mean, you might need it someday!" Shinji responded with a nervous laugh. He then raised his soda can. "First, you open the can."  
  
Rei silently did so.   
  
"Then," Shinji continued, "you hold it up, like so," he finished as he raised his can to eye level. She followed suit, nearly mirroring him.  
  
"And, finally, one of us gives a reason to drink, we tap cans, and we drink. Something along those lines, anyway.." Shinji trailed off.  
  
"What reason shall we drink to?"  
  
"Umm, well...er...how about....our first lunch together?" the Third Child proposed after finding a logical reason.  
  
"That is acceptable," she answered.  
  
"Umm, okay! To our first lunch together!" Shinji exclaimed, gently touching his can to hers and taking a sip in concert with her.  
  
'To our first lunch together,' Rei thought as she began to consume her lunch with the Third Child.  
  
Fortunately, the lunch went without further incident, and the two of them were able to finish their food and get back to class in time for the continuation of the sensei's monotone lecture.  
  
  
  
However...  
  
  
Neither of them realized that they could be seen from the room's windows, with their backs on the guard rail.  
  
Only two sets of eyes saw them.   
  
One pair looked with excitement, yet worry. But he did his best not to give away his friend's location to the other.  
  
It was too late, though, as the other pair had already seen them. Her teeth could nearly be heard gnashing into her food, while her eyes remained steadily on the seated pair on the roof.  
  
  
And she was pissed.   
  
No, not just pissed.  
  
Sorely pissed.   
  
Severely pissed.   
  
Hell & high water pissed.  
  
Someone was going to pay dearly.   
  
  
  
She just had to figure out which one....  
  
  
  
  
-------End Chapter One  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Not much to comment on here, except for the possible overdose on Shinji and how he tends to have nervous breakdowns whenever in difficult situations, especially when it comes to girls, as well as Rei OOC. Oh well, at least the stage is now set for the gears to start moving.  
  
  
Now, to leave you with some next-chapter thoughts...  
  
-Will Rei actually do what she "intends to do something about"?  
  
-Might Shinji actually get his act together for once?  
  
-And, of course, what kinda of vengeance is brimming with Asuka Langley Sohryu's mind?  
  
  
  
Find out in the next Chapter, The Tutorial... 


	2. The Tutorial

EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON  
  
  
  
Chapter Two: The Tutorial/Getting Your Feet Wet  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.  
  
  
  
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Now, some of you are possibly wondering about the timeline setting of this whole deal. Well, I'll let you in on it, though it took me some time to figure it out. After all, I can't just mention experiences of the Eva series and not try to figure out exactly when this is all occurring. So, to put all our minds at rest, this story takes place just before the search begins that determines one Toji Suzuhara as the Fourth Child. Hence, the Rei in this story is Rei II. Also, I'm making this a sort of side story to the whole plot, so you won't be seeing any Angel battles here. Just mano-a-mano (or maybe womano, if that can be used as an acceptable term?) as well as those internal conflicts we've grown to love about this series. Well, in my opinion, anyway.  
  
  
  
Now that that's settled, where was I in this little tale?   
  
  
  
Oh, that's right....the school. ;-) Let the mayhem begin.  
  
  
  
By the way, just in case you're confused by my use of quotation marks...  
  
  
- "This indicates spoken dialogue."  
  
  
- 'While this is a line that the character is thinking.'  
  
  
- And here is where written material goes.  
  
  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Ding-ding-ding-dong....  
  
With the clanging of the bell in that rhythm four times, classes were at an end for the day. And Shinji couldn't have been more relieved. Or could he?  
  
At least he hadn't been given too much homework that he would have troubles handling. It made his nerves a bit settled as he remembered what he had been asked to do...  
  
'That's right. I have to meet Ayanami over at the pool again. But she still hasn't indicated why. Not even at lunchtime...'  
  
All of a sudden, a camera, as well as Kensuke's face, moved into Shinji's immediate view, interrupting his thoughts. "Yee-hah!" He was obviously excited. "Classes are done! Wanna walk home with me, Shinji?"  
  
"Didn't Toji come back from the hospital yet?" the Third Child asked of his friend.  
  
"Not that I know of. He's probably gonna spend the rest of the day there. You know how he is about that," Kensuke replied, setting the camera down on a desk while attempting to check its battery.  
  
Shinji sighed. "Yeah."  
  
"So, you want do to anything?" Ida questioned.  
  
"No, but thanks. Rei's asking to see me at the pool."  
  
"Again? But why? You think she's got a cruuuush?" Kensuke teased.  
  
Shinji quickly went red. "N-no, that isn't it!" Then his face became more solemn. "At least, I don't think it is."  
  
A flash of light near Shinji's eye indicated that Kensuke had finished checking the batteries and was back in his '24-hours-a-day' operation mode. 'When does he ever not use that thing?' he wondered.  
  
"Well, just why does she want to see you there, man?"  
  
"I honestly don't know. She didn't say why."  
  
"Hmm...in either case, you'd better get going."  
  
"Wh...what about you, Kensuke?" Shinji asked, knowing that due to Toji being absent, if the Third Child were to go for the pool, Kensuke would be cannon fodder against Asuka.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about me. I may be going home by my lonesome today, but at least I've got this to keep me company!" With that, he proudly showed off his camera to Shinji.  
  
"Not what I meant. I was talking about Asuka. Don't you think she'll still stalk you for the picture profits?"  
  
"Well, maybe. But you shouldn't worry about it, Shinji!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because if Ayanami is asking to see you for a third time, it's probably because she has some kinda interest in you. Hence, you shouldn't worry yourself to death about what I have to deal with, ok? You're lucky, Shinji. A lot of guys would kill for a chance with her, y'know? It's just that she's one of those types that isn't easily readable, or approachable. Like a wall of ice that blocks anyone that she won't let through."  
  
"Asuka's like that, too.." Shinji responded, "but more like fire...and it burns."  
  
(Author's note: I'll explain my little analogy at the end of the Chapter.)  
  
"Yeah, that may be. But Rei has already indicated that she wants to have some kind of connection with you. I mean, I've noticed how she's smiled and looked at you during class time. She never does that for anyone else. Not as far as my eyes have seen, anyway. And I'm like a watchdog around here!"  
  
Shinji then smiled. Well, if he couldn't feel totally confident, he was thankful someone else had some faith in him, be it a person as distant as Rei Ayanami or one as curious as Kensuke Ida.  
  
"Alright, I'll get going. But, can you do me a favor, Kensuke?"  
  
"Sure! What is it?"  
  
Shinji moved to the door and then spoke his answer. "Keep Asuka off my tail, if she comes looking for me."  
  
"Not a problem, Shinji!" Kensuke then waved to his friend.  
  
The Third Child smiled and waved back, feeling a bit stronger from their conversation.   
  
He then exited the room, his feet carrying him quickly before he broke down and decided to flee.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
5 minutes later...  
  
Going through the locker room to get to poolside was never really an oddity in Shinji's mind. It only made natural sense to him, somehow. Fortunately, he had remembered to bring his laptop from home this morning in his pack, just in case Rei had just asked him to come and watch her swim again. Not that Shinji had anything against watching someone else swim, especially not someone as graceful in the water as her. For him, it was helpful to be prepared, just in case.   
  
'Sounds a bit like my father,' he thought to himself.  
  
So lost in thought was Shinji, in fact, that he nearly bumped into someone as he approached the entryway of the men's locker room. Stopping himself, he looked up, only to have his eyes widen and his heart nearly stop as his gaze fixed itself on a pair of blue eyes staring a hole through him.  
  
'Oh, shit,' was his only thought. 'She found me...but how?'  
  
"Going somewhere, Third Child?" Asuka demanded as she kept her stare on him, wanting him to crack under the pressure.  
  
"Uh...n-not really..." Already Shinji was shaking. At this point, he really couldn't tell which feeling made him more nervous: Asuka when she was after him, or Rei when she was nice to him.  
  
"Liar," Asuka replied with a smirk. "You're here to see Wondergirl, aren't you, hmm?"  
  
Shinji grimaced a bit, already knowing she'd see through a pitiful attempt like that. "W-well, yes.."  
  
"Ha!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "So you do admit there's something going on between you and her!"  
  
Ikari began to sweat. "I...I'm not admitting anything, Asuka...please, just let me go..."  
  
"And if I don't, Third Child?" she said, planting her feet and hands against the entryway to the locker room, in a standing spread-eagle position with no room for Shinji to get past her. "What are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I...well...um..."  
  
"HEY, YOU!" a voice yelled, not far from them as the two heard two sets of running footsteps. "GET BACK HERE WITH MY DOUGH!" That voice was Kensuke's!  
  
"Not on your life, jerkwad!" another voice called out as a teen unknown to the Second and Third Child sped past them. Kensuke followed, but stopped near them and panted heavily.   
  
Asuka laughed at the heavily breathing Stooge. "Serves you right for being such a weakling, like Shinji the dork here!"  
  
"You...gotta help me....Asuka..." Kensuke pleaded, his breaths sounding rather loud in such an empty area.  
  
Asuka scoffed at Ida. "What for? It isn't my problem, you moron!"  
  
"But..." Kensuke continued to huff and puff. "It's...your money...he's...got..."  
  
As one might expect, Asuka's face became rather shocked as she removed herself from the entryway and shook Ida furiously. "What do you mean?"  
  
"The...money from...your...pictures.." he spat out as Asuka stopped shaking him. "Shinji...told me you....wanted half the profits....right...?"  
  
"Damn right, I did!" Asuka then turned back to Shinji. "Looks like you get time with your girlfriend then, Third Child.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Shinji replied as she got moving to catch the thief.  
  
After several seconds beyond her disappearing from view, Kensuke let out a sigh. "Whew! This plan is too easy! But I actually have to pay her..."  
  
Shinji could only stand there, dumbfounded. Then he regained his senses. "Thanks."  
  
Kensuke grinned. "No problem, Shinji. Good luck with Rei." The he spun on his heel and took off after Asuka, using his ears to keep track of her, thanks to her nice little habit of German cursing.  
  
In the meanwhile, Shinji finally settled himself down with a few calm breaths and strode into the men's locker room, then to the pool. Rei wasn't around as far as he could see, so he went to sit at a nearby table to set up for homework. It wasn't until he approached the seat that he saw something.  
  
Moving closer, he saw a neatly folded piece of paper on top of some kind of garment. The note was addressed: Shinji. Naturally, he opened the paper and read the following note.  
  
  
  
To Shinji:  
  
  
Put these on. It's time to get your feet wet.  
  
  
Sincerely, Rei Ayanami.  
  
  
  
Shinji felt his nerve beginning to slip from him. And it only got worse as he saw what the note had been on top of: a pair of dark blue shorts. He quickly identified them as swim trunks.  
  
'No way!' was his first thought. 'She...she wants me to get in there with her and swim? No way in Hell! I can't do it! I don't know how to swim!'  
  
Then he looked over the note again. 'Get my feet wet? Does she intend to teach me..? It can't be....can it?'  
  
As his eyes darted back and forth between the note and the trunks, his mind began its usual overture of fear. 'I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...'  
  
Shinji then shook his head clear of these interfering thoughts. "I'm too far involved to run away now," he said to himself as he set his pack on the table, then grabbed the trunks and proceeded back to the locker room to change.  
  
Had he been looking around, he would've noticed Rei standing in the women's entryway to the pool, watching his every move since he came in.  
  
She smiled. 'I am thankful he chose to come here.'  
  
  
-------  
  
  
A short while later, Shinji emerged from the locker room, wearing the trunks. Surprisingly, they fit him quite well. 'Maybe she took a wild guess and got my size right?' he wondered as he walked upon the tiled floor with his bare feet, his clothes jammed into his pack.   
  
'Or....did she know my size?' Needless to say, that thought felt embarrassing. 'No, it can't be. She probably just guessed. Yeah, that's gotta be it. These are generic school swim trunks, after all.' He could easily see this from the kanji markings upon the fabric.  
  
Quietly, Shinji set his pack upon the table where Rei had left the note, figuring that if she was serious about this, he wouldn't be needing anything from his things. At least, not yet.  
  
Then, slowly, he sighted the First Child near the edge of the shallow end of the pool, sitting on a towel. Next to her, another towel had been laid out, as neat and orderly as the one she was sitting on. Gulping nervously, he approached her and slowly sat down on the vacant towel.  
  
Like the lunch they'd shared earlier, there was now another period of unsettling silence, neither truly knowing what to say at the moment.  
  
Rei decided to break the ice this time. "I am glad you came."  
  
"M..me, too.." Shinji offered with a weak smile.  
  
"Are you sure? You do not seem certain of yourself."  
  
"Y-yeah, I know." He gestured back towards the entryways. "Just had a scare with Asuka, y'know?"  
  
"Why was the Second Child here?" Rei asked of him.  
  
"I don't know," was his only response as he looked down, feeling rather ashamed at letting the burning redhead nearly trounce whatever confidence he had gained. Not to mention having been on the verge of a possible ass-kicking, with the Third Child being the presumed recipient.   
  
Rei could easily see that this situation was turning sour with Shinji looking both nervous and possibly depressed. So she gently placed one of her hands upon his.  
  
Shinji's face paralyzed in fear. 'Oh, God, what do I do?' He could already feel himself beginning to panic. "I...um..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I...I don't think I can do this.."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Humans aren't made to float." Those very words he had once spoken, when engaged in an odd self-analysis of sorts during his time in the Sea of Durac, before Unit 01 went berserk again and destroyed the 12th Angel from within its spherical form. And just like when he said that statement before, it didn't sound very convincing.  
  
Of course, Ayanami caught this as easily as Shinji did. However, she decided to try a gentler tactic, instead of a flat response. "You can, if you try," she said in a soothing manner, also giving his hand a light squeeze.  
  
This, naturally, gave Shinji a scare. But, also, it made him feel a bit more comfortable. "A-are you sure?"  
  
"Do not worry. I will guide you. I will instruct you." The look in Rei's eyes told Shinji that her intentions about this were completely serious. Then again, he had never known the First Child to ever joke about anything.   
  
Shinji stopped himself from possibly hyperventilating, taking a controlled breath to calm himself. "Alright. I trust you, Rei."  
  
Rei nodded and stood, her hand still holding on to his own as he also rose to his feet. "Then follow me." With that, the First Child slowly walked to the lead-in steps of the pool, Ikari slightly in step behind her.  
  
They stopped at the edge of the first step. Rei's eyes met Shinji's. "Do not be frightened."  
  
"As long as we take this one step at a time." Now Shinji felt determined to do this, though he still wanted to bolt.  
  
"Then we will," Rei responded, gasping just a little as she took her first step into the pool this day. She always secretly derived a small amount of excitement from feeling the slightly-cooled water washing across her toes, and letting that sensation spread all over her body as she immersed herself. Today, she found herself suppressing that desire, but only as a result from seeing how unstable her fellow pilot was, especially now.  
  
A quick look confirmed for Ayanami that Shinji hadn't stepped in yet. She decided to encourage him further, taking another step in herself, finding it a bit more difficult to hold his hand while doing so. "Please, step in."  
  
"I...I can't....it doesn't feel safe..." Shinji said. Then again, in the young Ikari's world, did anything ever truly feel safe?  
  
"Then I will protect you," Rei calmly replied.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I will not let you come to harm."  
  
"If you say so..." Shinji finally took one last look at the water and stepped forward.  
  
Upon feeling the water, Shinji slowly felt himself become more at ease. 'Maybe this isn't so bad. It certainly is a different experience from that of an entry plug.'  
  
After taking a few more steps in, Shinji decided to let go, just a bit, as he closed his eyes. In retrospect, he should've realized the hindrance of blinding himself in this situation. He felt his foot slip forward, failing to feel and grip something he couldn't see, much less get a hold of. In reality, he had missed one step, and was thrown off-balance in the process.  
  
Shinji felt himself pitch forward, the water coming in faster towards his freaked-out eyes-  
  
-and suddenly, he felt himself stop.  
  
Not right on the water, nor underneath it. A couple inches his face was from the surface of the shimmering water. Also, he felt a force upon his chest. Shinji blinked a couple of times, then looked over to Ayanami. Her features were displaying a look of concentration as he quickly figured out that it was her hands pushing against his chest that had kept him from a fearful face dive.  
  
Shinji immediately felt bad about the whole thing, and tried to correct himself, but accidentally pushed forward, his arms flailing just a bit, trying to grip something, anything...  
  
But afterward, he felt alright, and re-oriented. But as his gaze affixed itself to Rei, the Third Child noticed her cheeks were red. Redder than earlier times.   
  
It was then that he realized what had happened.  
  
In his haste to restore balance, Shinji had thrown himself towards Rei, his arms having found something to hold on to. Her waist.  
  
Ikari's cheeks immediately felt warm. "I-I'm s-sorry..." he stammered, quickly loosening his arms from her and letting them fall back to his sides.  
  
"It's alright, Shinji. It felt...nice." Rei quickly retook his hand and moved out a bit further, letting him follow at a slow pace. A sluggish pace, in the First Child's opinion, but Shinji was her chosen priority today.  
  
She decided to be thankful that there wasn't anyone around to heckle him. Especially a certain fiery girl. 'Let's hope things go a bit more smoothly, now that he's actually in,' she thought.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
2 hours later, the lesson was over. Rei was prompt in this, of course, bringing Shinji out of the water and to their towels to dry off.   
  
"That went well, right?" Shinji asked of her, looking directly into her eyes, feeling a bit worried. And while she indeed was calm and patient with him throughout this whole lesson, which basically consisted of him getting accustomed to the feel of the water, both above and below, as well as simply walking around while immersed.   
  
Rei, of course, had cautioned him to make sure he was holding his breath when he went under. This was pool water, not LCL, after all. And she made absolutely certain to hold on to his hand whenever he did try to submerge himself within the depths. It always seemed to both make him a bit nervous, but also made him physically relaxed, knowing she would not let him be harmed, for many reasons, professional as well as personal.  
  
"Yes," the First Child answered as she worked on drying her hair off. Shinji, having more skin exposed, had more to dry, and so was a bit behind her in pace.   
  
After another minute or so, she stood up and started walking away.   
  
"Hey, Rei.." Shinji started.  
  
Rei immediately turned and faced him. "What is it?"  
  
"Eh..." Shinji felt himself blush, not knowing what to say. He knew he should thank her for this, but he just wasn't sure how to go about it. Then an idea hit him that would make any procrastinator proud of him. "Can I walk you home?"  
  
Ayanami's lips curved upward just a bit. She then nodded slightly.   
  
"O-ok! I'll get changed quickly." The Third Child hastily rubbed the towel she had given him upon his hair a few times, then hauled ass to the changing room, nearly collapsing upon himself trying to get his pack in the process.  
  
After watching this little incident, Rei also got moving, knowing that while he would wait for her to be done, she shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than necessary. A simple idea that applied itself often in her life, both in her life as the pilot of Unit 00 as well as the personal life she had, as newly developing as it might be.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Unknowingly, the mind of the enigmatic First Child let itself wander during her change...  
  
'Water. Clear, yet blue. Water, the life of my thoughts.'  
  
'Wind. A still calm, but also a force. A force that moves things. Wind moves water. Is Shinji the wind? Am I the water? Does the Third Child move me so?'  
  
'The heart. A human organ. Regulator of blood, and vital to survive. but is there another heart? There must be. A heart made of one's soul? One's feelings? Emotions? Reactions and judgments?'  
  
'What is it that I.....feel? Do I even feel at all?'  
  
A mental image of Shinji crossed her mind.  
  
'Shinji Ikari. Son of Commander Ikari. The only one whom I ever call by first name. Why is that? Do I feel something for him? Perhaps this is true. I display and express myself in ways to him that no one else would ever get out of me. I thank him when he is kind to me. My smiles, though I do not show them often, always give him a good feeling.'  
  
'What is this..? What is this that I feel? Is this what one feels in their...heart?'  
  
'Clothes. Garments. Coverings of one's true form. Are they barriers as well? A shield to protect us? But, from what? Our bodies? Or perhaps our hearts? Do we deceive ourselves and others every day so that we need not face our true selves? Is this what these fabrics represent?'  
  
'Unit 00. An Evangelion. I pilot it, and share a bond as well. A bond to all living things. A bond to Shinji, as well? No. That feeling is stronger. Why is this so? Is there a bond between him and myself? Has today's events given us a unity of sorts?   
  
'No, it cannot be just this one day. It is from many things. From the events of the first day we met...despite his shocked state as a result of being protected by the dormant Unit 01 that day, he had nevertheless held onto me after I had fallen off my stretcher...up to the events of today, and though he was clearly afraid of the simple idea of swimming, he chose to try and we found it to be worth our effort.'  
  
'Our effort? Did I just refer to it as an effort of both Ikari and myself? Yes. It was something we both tried at and managed a small success. Highly unlike defeating an Angel, perhaps, but no less gratifying.'  
  
"Rei..."  
  
'Will I do this all again the next day? Yes...'  
  
"Rei...."  
  
'It shall be an effort of Shinji and myself. It will work.'  
  
"Helloooo, Rei...."  
  
'Ikari's voice. It sounds...heavenly...'  
  
  
-------  
  
  
"Earth to Rei!" Shinji cried out, waving his hand in front of her face directly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks, her face showing obvious surprise.  
  
"What....is it?" she asked.  
  
"Just trying to make sure you're still with me, that's all," Shinji responded, chuckling a bit.  
  
Rei's cheeks turned slightly red, feeling a bit embarrassed about losing herself in her mind's monologue, which had started when she was in the middle of undressing herself after her tutoring of Shinji, and ending only now as the two of them were no more than several feet from the building that she lived in.  
  
"I apologize. I did not mean to worry you." With that, Rei offered a smile. She never knew that being around him like this could cause her to forget about everything else. It was an enjoyable feeling.  
  
Shinji just grinned at her a little. "It's alright. I get lost in my thoughts or daydream a lot, too."  
  
The First Child nodded in acknowledgement as they proceeded into the building and up to the 2nd floor, all the way to the metallic door that was a portal of sorts to her living quarters. Normally, such a journey would have been a bit taxing upon her system, even with her tolerance for hiking this and other distances, but oddly enough, she didn't feel as tired as she should.   
  
'Perhaps walking with him has made this walk a bit more...invigorating?' In allowing herself that thought, Rei also let slip a sigh of contentment.  
  
Interestingly, for someone usually as dense as lead, Shinji picked up on that sigh. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.  
  
"Yes." Rei then opened the door and stepped halfway inside before halting and turning back to Shinji. "And what about you?"  
  
"M-me?" the Third Child stuttered, feeling a bit taken aback.  
  
"Yes. Do you want me to keep teaching you?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "Yes, please, would you?"  
  
"I shall do so. Meet me after school again tomorrow, in the same place. I will be waiting for you, and we will resume where we left off."  
  
"Alright. Thank you, Rei. I..."  
  
As Shinji looked up, Ayanami's door was nearly closed. Acting quickly, he caught the door with a hand and stepped inside, slowly. "Rei..."  
  
Again, she stopped and looked at him, awaiting whatever it was that he wanted to say.   
  
"I...I..." Try as he might in that moment, the Third Child couldn't find any words to say. He wasn't sure what he even wanted to say.  
  
Rei slowly approached him, taking hold of his shoulders and examining his eyes. This, of course, made Shinji worry. 'Did I overstep my boundaries? Is she going to slap me again..?'  
  
The pessimistic thoughts quickly dissipated after she moved her face in close to his, so close that he could feel her breath upon his skin, and lightly pursed her lips upon his forehead for but a second before pulling away, her cheeks going red again. For a few moments, Shinji felt stunned.   
  
"I...will...see you....tomorrow?" he questioned. Already in the process of unpacking her suit and supplies, she absently nodded. Shinji then quietly moved himself out of her door, deciding not to risk any further embarrassment.  
  
"Goodbye," Rei called to him as he shut the door.  
  
"Take care!" Shinji said in return. "And, thanks again!" Afterwards, his feet got moving, knowing he had to make dinner tonight.  
  
This, of course, gave him troubling thoughts. 'Will Misato be home? Maybe she's worried? Or what about Asuka? I can guess she wasn't too happy with what went on earlier. I hope Kensuke's alright.'  
  
Knowing that the evening would not be too great, Shinji decided to zone himself out now, slipping a pair of earphones on and activating his SDAT, setting it in his pocket to listen to as he journeyed home. Slowly but surely, the music let his mind slip away from the problems and worries of his world...  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Fortunately for Shinji, the moment he entered his humble abode, all was quiet. Little sound made its way to his ears as soon as the SDAT had been turned off. No footsteps, no voices. 'Heck, even Pen-Pen isn't up and about,' he thought to himself as the shoes came off and his eyes wandered the place, noting that things, as usual, were a bit of a mess.   
  
'Then again, I wasn't home to clean earlier, was I?' With that thought came a tiny smirk on his face as he checked out the secondary fridge. Sure enough, the penguin was in there, resting rather peacefully.  
  
Shinji absentmindedly pet Pen-Pen on its head. "I bet you don't worry about things like swimming and girls, huh?"  
  
Almost as if responding to his inquiry, Pen-Pen cooed a little.  
  
The Third Child laughed a little, then closed the door, deciding to let the little guy sleep. 'Well, at least he doesn't cause any problems. What a carefree life. Just eat, walk, move, and make funny noises.'  
  
Shinji didn't keep on these thoughts for long as he headed to his room and set down his pack, as well as the SDAT. Quickly did he make a couple of checks into the rooms of both Asuka and Misato (despite obvious risks involved) to see if either of them were simply sleeping. Neither girl was present.  
  
"I guess I've got the place to myself...."  
  
But when he checked the kitchen, he noticed that a piece of paper had been folded in half and placed upon the table in front of where he normally sat, with his name written on it. Curious, Shinji slowly took the note, opened it up and let his gaze look the words over:  
  
  
  
Hey, idiot.  
  
  
I won't be coming home this evening, so enjoy yourself while you can. If you need to call me (not that you should), I'll be at Hikari's place.  
  
  
Asuka  
  
  
The next part looked a bit more scribbled than the rest, as if it had been added as an afterthought.  
  
  
P.S. ...Sorry about earlier.  
  
  
P.P.S. Don't tell ANYONE I apologized to you, Third Child. I mean it!  
  
  
  
Shinji chuckled a little at the last statement, knowing that Toji and Kensuke would never believe that the "great" Asuka Langley Sohryu would ever apologize to him for anything. He moved to drop the note into the garbage, its purpose having been served, when he noticed some more writing on the other side that he hadn't seen before due to his taking the note immediately after seeing his name on it.  
  
'So, what's this..?' he wondered.  
  
  
P.P.P.S. Need to talk with you tomorrow after I get home. Have a fun day, idiot.  
  
  
"She sure leaves a lot of post-scripts," Shinji thought out loud as he discarded the note and proceeded to the living room after getting himself a soda can, seating himself on the floor and flipping on the TV.   
  
TV quickly became boring for one involved in such things as the Third Child. After a while, he just stopped bothering with the remote, setting it aside as he reclined on the floor and let himself fall into a light slumber.  
  
Or, at least, he tried. But as comfortable as he may have been trying to get, he just couldn't slip far enough into sleep...   
  
Then, Shinji heard a shrill noise. 'The phone..?' he thought as he willed himself to move, pushing himself up from the floor and getting to his feet. 'It sounds....different.'  
  
He got his answer to why in a few seconds and another ring. It wasn't coming from the apartment phone. In fact, as his ears tried to distinguish the location of the rather physically annoying sound, he figured out that whatever this noise was, it was coming from his room.  
  
'Did I leave my alarm on again? No, this sounds...higher-pitched.'  
  
Groggy was the Third Child from those few minutes of snoozing earlier as he entered his room, scanning the floor, bed, and desk, trying to locate the damn thing that was making that annoying sound. His eyes soon fell upon the cell phone. The same one Misato had given him a long time ago, not long after he first joined NERV.   
  
Shinji let himself think back on it as he reach for it, his mind seemingly slowing down as his thoughts took over...  
  
Misato had let him have this phone soon after he had moved in to her apartment, which she admitted to having settled here recently as well. Misato's original reasoning had been that he would need it. But Shinji never took it around with him anywhere. It was then that the slender guardian began to realize the Third Child's troubles in making any real friends.  
  
Shinji let the thoughts disintegrate as he pressed a button on the cell phone to receive this incoming call, quickly figuring which end was the receiver and placing that to his ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Shinji." This voice was that of the First Child.  
  
"Oh, hi, Rei," Shinji replied in greeting. Then a question struck him. "How did you know of this number?"  
  
"Major Katsuragi sent it to me, to use in case of an emergency."  
  
"Misato did...?" Well, at least that made some sense to the Third Child.  
  
"Yes."   
  
"So, what's the emergency?" Shinji asked.  
  
"I apologize. It is not an emergency. I was calling to find out if you arrived at home safely."  
  
"Oh, y-yeah," Shinji stammered a little, feeling himself blush slightly. "I'm fine."  
  
"Is Pilot Sohryu or Major Katsuragi there as well?"  
  
"No. Asuka is over at a friend's, and I don't know where Misato is. Probably another late-night shift."   
  
"A natural assumption."  
  
"Yeah." With that, Shinji let himself breathe a sigh of relief, being thankful that Asuka most likely didn't know the number to this phone. He already had to deal with enough of her at work, school, and home.  
  
"What is the matter?" Rei questioned. "You sound distressed."  
  
"No, just shaken. I was trying to sleep," Shinji responded. 'Although sleeping might feel better if it were next to her, and what the hell am I doing, thinking about something like that at a time like this!?!'  
  
"I did not mean to awaken you."  
  
"That's alright. I'd rather it be you than Asuka, at least," Shinji said, cracking a smile.  
  
He also could almost hear Rei chuckling to herself after hearting that. "Yes, I suppose this is true."  
  
"Mm-hmm. So, what are you up to?"  
  
"Dinner. And I wish to ask you something."  
  
"Wh-what is it, Rei?" At this point, Shinji still couldn't guess what was on her mind at times. Not that he minded, for it was at least a nice change as opposed to the consistency of Asuka's temper and subsequent nagging.  
  
"Will we be eating together tomorrow, like we did today?" Was it just Shinji, or was there a hint of joy in her voice? He didn't know, but it still sounded to be a bit more positive than usual.  
  
"Umm...hmm...oh, why not? That sounds great!" the Third Child exclaimed. "I can make another lunch for you, if you like."   
  
"That....sounds wonderful. Thank you!" was Ayanami's reply.  
  
Now Shinji was feeling the stomach butterflies. 'Why does something that can feel so...nice...have the potential to scare me more than this whole swimming deal? I don't understand...'   
  
"Do you think she will try to stop you again?"  
  
"You mean Asuka?"  
  
"Yes. I am sorry I did not tell you, but I watched the whole incident transpire."  
  
"Oh..." Even when distanced by miles, Shinji could still feel hurt from such words, knowing he could more or less only blame himself for being spineless around the redheaded demon.  
  
"I-I'm sorry..." Shinji began.  
  
"Do not worry about it."  
  
"But...but I should worry about it! I was being a coward!"  
  
"You were...afraid?" Rei questioned of him.  
  
Shinji sighed, feeling a bit worse. "Yeah...I...didn't want her to cause me pain."  
  
"And so you sat there and took the treatment she gave you? You did not deserve it."  
  
"Try telling her that!" Shinji cried, raising his voice a bit in frustration.  
  
"Perhaps....perhaps I will." Rei could almost feel the Third Child's pain coming through her receiver as clearly as his words.  
  
"Huh? Are...are you sure?"  
  
"You are undeserving of such pain. I will make this known to her."  
  
"But...but she might...no, she will...get angry at you. Aren't you afraid?"  
  
"I am not worried, Shinji. I will be ready for that contingency."  
  
"I....I...you are kind to stick up for me. Thank you." That statement, at least, gave Shinji some peace of mind. But even as he felt this peace, he also felt a presence in his eyes...one that was pulling him down....calling to him. He then realized that his body now really did require sleep.  
  
"You are welcome. But I must leave now, my dinner is ready."  
  
Shinji could understand that. "Of course. I'll be sleeping soon, hopefully."  
"Indeed. This day has been a bit exhausting for the both of us."  
  
"Um, Rei...before you go.." the Third Child started again, knowing that he could easily lock up again at any time.  
  
"What is it?" Ayanami inquired.  
  
However, this time, Shinji had no trouble finding the words he wanted to say. These words felt more like a fact rather than a compliment. "I really enjoyed talking with you."  
  
"And I....with you." The two of them smiled after hearing those words.  
  
"Take care, Rei."  
  
"You, too. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodbye, Shinji." Then came a dull click and the familiar droning of the line having been hung up.  
  
Shinji turned off the cell phone and sat down, having been pacing around the room as he talked to her, though he hadn't really known as his mind got so in to their conversation. 'Hell, I don't even talk to Kensuke and Toji like that. What is it about Rei Ayanami that lets me do this? Well, whatever it is, it feels...good...'  
  
"HELLLOOOO-OOOO!" a voice called not far beyond Shinji's walls, accompanied by a large *thump* noise. "Oof! Damn it..."   
  
Quickly, Shinji got to his feet and left his room, only to find Misato sprawled out on the floor, along with some groceries. The whole thing looked silly enough to make him laugh, which he did in earnest, and rather loud to boot.  
  
Misato quickly got an embarrassed look on her face as she had to look up at the giggling Third Child. "What's so funny, Shinji, hmmmm!?!? Do you like when I fall over!?!?"  
  
At this point, Shinji was rolling on the floor, still laughing hard over the situation, so Misato decided not to go after him about it yet. 'Well, it probably was funny as hell to him,' she thought as she regained her feet and began to pick up the fallen foods, thankful that her two 12-packs of beer hadn't been too badly damaged.  
  
'In fact, it's like a breath of fresh air to see him this way.' Misato smiled to herself and got moving for the kitchen, feeling just a bit better after such a tedious day.  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Two hours later, both Ikari and Katsuragi were at the kitchen table, eating the dinner that Shinji was lucky to have been able to create tonight, despite the fact that tonight was a night designated for Misato to cook. To the Major, Shinji seemed a bit nicer than usual this evening, as well as appearing to be a bit zoned out from it. It made him look kinda cute, in her opinion.  
  
"So, no Asuka to bother you makes Shinji a happier boy?" Misato asked of the Third Child, getting that look on her face that indicated she was about to start in on teasing him, though he never knew it beforehand.  
  
Shinji blushed a rather deep red. It was enough to clue Misato in that something was definitely different about him today. "No...it's not that Asuka's gone...though that's certainly a plus," Ikari said.  
  
"Well, what is it then? You look so...energized today. Even when you were cooking, you were acting as if you were in your own delightful world. I want to know, how did that happen?"  
  
"It's....well....it's kind of a long story. And it's rather embarrassing."  
  
Misato partially frowned, guessing correctly that Shinji was implying that she refrain from humoring herself. "Please, tell me! I won't tease you."  
  
"Are you sure about that, Misato?" Shinji looked rather skeptical.  
  
The Major offered him her traditional victory sign. "I promise!"  
  
"Well, okay." Shinji then began to talk...  
  
  
-------  
  
  
An hour later, Shinji was done recounting the events of the day, from Rei's initial invitation to the first conversation on his cell phone. Misato, true to her word, did her best not to embarrass the boy, though she did ask a few questions as he went along. Though Misato's expressions changed a bit a few times, from shock to stifling giggles to nearly blushing as deeply red as the Third Child was with every word, her overall look gave Shinji the impression that she was beaming with joy.   
  
"I never knew Rei was such a conversationalist," Shinji stated, taking a sip of his soda in what had seemed like an eternity at the table. "And that's about it. I got off the phone with her right before you walked in and fell," he concluded, stifling his own laughter as his mind remembered her rather compromising position on the floor earlier.  
  
"Wow, you had one heck of a day, huh?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
Misato giggled. "I should take a picture of this. You ought to see the smile on your face. It certainly brightens the place up a lot."  
  
"Thanks, Misato. That means a lot."  
  
"So...are you going to meet Rei tomorrow?" Katsuragi asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And what about Asuka?"  
  
"I'll talk to her after I get home from my lesson. I just hope....that things go well."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure they will." With that, Misato offered a grin, just to keep the Third Child's spirits up. Not long after that did they quickly finish dinner and clean up the dishes.  
  
"I'm tired. I'm off to bed." Shinji managed to say after a long yawn.  
  
"Alright. Good night, Shinji."  
  
"You, too, Misato." The Third Child then entered his room, cleared his things from the bed, and changed into his night wear. He had almost slipped on the earphones for his SDAT when his door opened, and his guardian's face appearing.   
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Misato took a long breath, knowing that what she was about to say could be difficult. "Are you afraid...of the connection you've found with the First Child?"  
  
"No....I..." Shinji began, but he knew that Misato would see through him. "Yes," he quickly confessed.  
  
"Have faith, Shinji. Faith in her. And faith in yourself. Whether or not this is just about your ability to swim doesn't matter. You still have found a new bond with someone that few else ever have, do you know that?"  
  
"Yes...but it's still frightening."  
  
"That feeling won't go away easily, Shinji. It never does for anyone. But you must find a way to deal with it. It won't be simple, and it may even hurt at times. But you mustn't run away. Not when you have something that has the potential to be very beneficial for you."   
  
"I...I'll do what I can, Misato. I won't run away." It sure didn't ease Shinji's nervousness, but at least he felt a bit better, knowing that Misato cared in regard to how he felt about this whole situation and was willing to help him.  
  
"Good. Sleep well, Shinji." That having been said, Misato slid his door shut and proceeded to grab a pair of beers from the kitchen before settling down in her own room.  
  
As for Shinji, he slowly removed the earphones, placing the SDAT near his pack. 'Not tonight,' he thought as he nestled his head upon the pillow. Though he had experienced trouble earlier in falling asleep, Shinji quickly feel into a deep sleep now.  
  
...of course....  
  
Without the SDAT to drown out his thoughts, his subconscious mind had lots of thoughts to process while he dreamt.  
  
Some of swimming....  
  
...but mostly of Rei Ayanami. A blue-haired woman with a pleasant tone and angelic form. The First Child, and pilot of Evangelion Unit 00.  
  
Needless to say, tonight's dreams were to be highly enjoyable, as well as unusually erotic.  
  
  
  
-------End of Chapter Two  
  
  
  
  
Post-Story Author's Notes: Well, that only took nearly two weeks and a messed-up sleeping schedule. Not to mention finally acquiring the rest of the series on DVD, as well as Death & Rebirth, so only The End is left for me. Now, to address three points of this chapter:  
  
  
  
-First, the dialogue shared between Rei and Shinji on the cell phone. Yes, I know that the First Child isn't normally so talkative. None of her incarnations are, as far as I've seen. But, then again, she IS forming a bond with Shinji, and just as his barriers are slowly falling, so shall hers. If I went too far, I went too far.   
  
  
  
-Second, I had difficulty trying to figure out exactly how Rei would go about teaching Shinji how to swim. I admit, drawing upon personal experience didn't help, as I rarely swim anymore. But, obviously, it had to have its share of embarrassing moments. That sort of thing is important for Shinji's character, as it forces him to try and overcome his fears.  
  
  
  
-Third, the Rei/Shinji/Asuka continuum.   
  
  
To define the basic parameters as outlined in the story, Rei is a wall of ice. Many view her to lack emotion and to be very selective in her associations. Necessity seems to be the most defining term of her dialogue and outward expression, as well as her biggest roadblock in forming attachments to others. Hence, the way to her heart is blocked by a more or less impenetrable wall of frozen water.  
  
Now, as for Asuka, I paired her with fire. This is obvious, from the orange-red hair to the dynamite temper, as well as her inflated pride or ego, I can't figure out which. But, like how Rei is unable to let anyone through her wall due to the way she is, Asuka is just as difficult, given a troubled past involving her parents, going hand in hand with her solid determination to rely on herself. Hence, she "burns" anyone who may be getting through, out of fear of pain which can easily be compared to that of the Third Child.  
  
So, where does Shinji Ikari fit into all this? Just remember, this is all metaphorical. I see him in this case as a bolt of lightning. When he strikes, it counts. Not just in his battles, either. He always seems to be able to make a breakthrough to either girl where others would not. In essence, his lightning is not only powerful enough to crack Rei's ice, but also tough enough to endure Asuka's severe scorching.   
  
  
Now, to go on a tangent about Shinji's 'magnetic' personality... :-D  
  
  
Where does he get this intriguing ability to touch the hearts of the most impossible members of the opposite sex? I mean, we see him being able to make some rather deep contact with Asuka, Rei, and possibly Misato, as well as all the schoolgirls liking him. I would originally believe it comes from his father, as we see the Commander having three different women at different times in his life, those being Yui Ikari, Naoko Akagi, and then Ritsuko Akagi.   
  
Of course, to disprove the theory of it being genetic, remember that in Ep. 21 (The Birth of NERV), Fuyutsuki recalls suspicion that Gendo's overtures to Yui were moreso because of her association with SEELE. Also, in the same episode we see the future Commander having an affair with the first Dr. Akagi. And, according to Rei I, he refers to Naoko as an old hag. Rather insensitive, but it's also a signal that Gendo isn't the most passionate man when it comes to being with women. Even when he interrogates Ritsuko as to why she destroyed the D.P. system, he's all busniess.   
  
Hence, it is also natural to assume that while Shinji may have genetic potential to attract women physically, it's also evident that the whole of his feelings and reactions lend to a rather subdued, but powerful charm for the ladies. So lovable, yet in so much denial. At odds is he to be the one known as Shinji Ikari.  
  
  
Oh, by the way, if all of this post-chapter ranting seems rather redundant in the fact that I recall many points from the series, it's only to reinforce the background of the characters, as well as to lend aid to the events and reactions I create. Besides, you don't HAVE to read it. :-P   
  
  
  
Next-chapter predictions? Of course not. Just potential happenings...and since when did I pride myself on sounding politically correct or using euphamisms? Oops, rambling again, here we go...  
  
  
-Will the next day be as fruitful for our hapless hero?  
  
-Might Rei melt more and more as she becomes further involved?  
  
-Does Asuka really want to talk to Shinji? If so, about what?  
  
-And, finally...does Misato ever run out of beer?  
  
  
It's all in the next Chapter, The Frail Heart...well, except for the beer inquiry. She'll never run out. No beer and no Shinji make Misato unhappy woman. And I'll stop rambling now. :-P 


	3. The Frail Heart

EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON  
  
  
Chapter Three: The Frail Heart/A Scuffle  
  
  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.  
  
  
  
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Looks like viewing Death & Rebirth has left me reeling, as well as hungering to see how the whole situation resolves in The End. It's funny, too...how one can have so many ideas and be able to keep elaborating in the weirdest of time. At work...pacing around at home, bored...or when trying to sleep. All these times seem to be my most creative periods, when I can actually think storylines for these ideas through within the recesses of my mind. At current count, in a notebook where I jot possible ideas down, I currently have...about 30-some ideas or so for stories. Not all of them Eva-based, however, and this story isn't included in those ideas, as this was one I started writing before jotting down as a note.  
  
  
  
Now, on with this odyssey...  
  
  
Oh, and again, I'll insert this into every chapter from now on, to make sure the readers remember:  
  
"This indicates spoken dialogue."  
  
'An indicator of thought.'  
  
And this is when something is written down.  
  
  
Let's see, last time we left our cast, the first day's lesson was over, and Shinji had gone to bed dreaming of his tutor, Rei Ayanami, whom he also now thought of as a woman...  
  
  
-------  
  
A new day had dawned upon the city of Tokyo-3, and Shinji Ikari couldn't have felt more relaxed. The previous night's rest had been rather different from those that had come before, and both his mind and body felt truly ready for the hardships and adventures of a new day. Adventures meaning whatever Rei might choose to teach him today in the pool. Hardship, of course, referred to any and every second around Asuka.  
  
Fortunately, that time wasn't now, as the Third Child quietly assembled a lunch for himself, as well as one for his newly found swim instructor, that being Rei Ayanami.  
  
'Well, it's often said that the first day is the hardest,' he thought to himself while trying his best to keep his mind on the preparation of the food, and not losing his mind over Misato's rather loud snoring. She usually wasn't this loud when she slept.   
  
'She probably just had more to drink than usual. But, then again, what's her limit, anyway?'  
  
Shinji chuckled at that thought, wondering if Misato ever really got in a truly drunken state anymore and dismissed the thought just as quickly.  
  
And then there was the note that he had seen on the table last night. From Asuka, no less. He still couldn't figure out what she might want in talking with him. 'Since when did she ever want to talk?' Shinji pondered. But he decided to give it a chance. There were times when she wasn't such a bitch, after all. And it could be rather nice during those rare times that she smiled without the slightest hint of anger or arrogance. Not to mention that he probably wouldn't be able to avoid her completely anyway, since they lived together.  
  
After a short while, Shinji concluded with making the lunches he would need for the day, and, as an afterthought, inserted his cell phone into his pack, just in case someone chose to try and reach him, whether it be Kensuke to gossip, Asuka to rant, or Rei...  
  
'Hell,' the Third Child admitted to himself, 'Rei's the only reason I'm carrying it.' He saw no point in denying that to himself. She had given him a rather decent conversation the previous night, and it felt quite stimulating. Like eating a food you like that you hadn't eaten in a long time.  
  
A prodding upon his leg informed Shinji of Pen-Pen's presence. The poke tickled, making Shinji laugh just a little as he made his way to the fridge and retrieved a thawed fish for the little guy to much on.  
  
"Here you go," Ikari said, setting the fish into the penguin's bowl. In response, Pen-Pen completely forgot about Shinji and dove his beak into the fish with a ravenous hunger that only Toji could possibly match.  
  
The Third Child took in the funny scene for a few moments before slipping his shoes on as well as his pack, and departing the apartment, with newfound confidence. But it was still early in the day...  
  
  
-------  
  
  
Since Shinji had left early today, when Toji and Kensuke arrived , they had to ring the buzzer repeatedly and deal with a half-sleepy Misato doing her best not to fall over from either fatigue or being hung over, possibly both.  
  
"Man, that sucked!" Kensuke complained as the two of them hurried towards school to make up for the lost time trying to figure out the Major. "Not only is Shinji not there, but Misato was all tipsy!"  
  
Toji laughed aloud as they jogged, seeing as how walking wouldn't get them there any quicker. "Oh, you know you'd have wanted her anyway if we weren't going to be so damn late."  
  
"Yeah, but Shinji would still protest, saying all that stuff about her being a slob and such."  
  
"Who cares?" Toji replied. "She's a fucking babe!"  
  
"You got that right." Kensuke then hastily adjusted his bag so that his camera didn't fall out. Choosing common sense over foolishness, he had chosen to leave the camera within his notebooks, since they were in such a hurry. "So, the question is, why wasn't Ikari there..?"  
  
"Ahh, 50 bucks says he'd rather walk with Ayanami, and you know it."  
  
"Maybe...but are you going to give him a hard time about it?" Kensuke asked.  
  
Toji couldn't help but grin before answering that question. "Hell yeah! Until either you or I find a girl to hang out with like he does. Geez, Shinji's so lucky."  
  
"Not that he ever realizes it."  
  
"Yeah," Toji stated in agreement. "He is kinda clueless like that, isn't he?"  
  
"Maybe, but it's also part of his charm."  
  
Toji scoffed. "Hah! That's your opinion."  
  
"I bet you'd change that opinion if he went and asked Hikari out." Kensuke knew that had a good chance of annoying his friend.  
  
It worked, namely with Toji nearly stopping in his tracks and blushing his cheeks off. "Eh-uh...the class rep? No way, dude! No possible way. Besides, you've seen how he's been literally staring at Rei in class. I could swear that Shinji's got a thing for her."  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" Kensuke inquired as they entered the school, noting that they had a few precious minutes.  
  
"Something like that...."  
  
  
-------  
  
Class was as boring as almost everyone had come to expect nowadays. Again, the sensei droned on about the horrors and repercussions of Second Impact. Hence, the students were engaged in more or less usual boredom activities, which consisted of mostly typing messages on the laptops, the girls gossiping even more then Kensuke.   
  
At least, this was what most of the students were doing. Hikari was the only student paying any real attention to the lesson, just so she could give everyone else grief later. Toji and Kensuke could have been easily seen Rock, Paper, Scissors as well as Thumb War, if the sensei ever actually looked at his students. Asuka had fallen asleep, not even bothering to throw more than a single nasty glare at Shinji before nodding off. Rei was gazing out the window again, despite her break in behavior yesterday.  
  
Sadly, Shinji was the only bored student who wasn't really doing anything to kill time. He just slouched a bit in his seat and stared blankly at his laptop screen, wondering if he should take after Asuka's example and engage in a quiet nap. It was then that he noticed a piece of notebook paper upon his desk, folded in half twice.  
  
'Another writing from Asuka?' Shinji wondered. 'No, she's out cold...'  
  
Feeling a bit better at having something to do, the Third Child opened up the note and read the single line written upon the looseleaf paper:  
  
  
Are you disinterested in class, Shinji?  
  
  
The handwriting was Rei's. Needless to say, Shinji wasn't totally surprised. But he also knew he should respond quickly, which he did and then proceeded to pass it back to Rei.   
  
  
Yeah, considering the -truth- about Second Impact. I didn't know you passed notes.  
  
  
Because he didn't dare look at her and risk any heckling at the moment, Shinji simply extended his arm in her general direction. He felt the paper leave his hand and quickly retreated his arm.  
  
A few moments later, the note reached his desk top again.  
  
  
Talking seems to be out of place at the moment, as does the messages on the screens. This is more...private.  
  
  
Shinji was thankful that this was private, so far. He had to be careful about it, since he knew how note-passing could easily go wrong, were it to fall into improper hands, namely the sensei's, Toji's, Kensuke's, Hikari's, or most especially, Asuka's. Besides, writing seemed easier at times to Shinji, when he couldn't easily voice his thoughts.  
  
  
As long as we're cautious.  
  
  
Every time the First Child's hand touched that of the Third Child, he could swear he felt a spark, as if being touched by a downed power line. It made him feel a bit livelier than before.  
  
  
We will not be noticed. Did you bring your gear?  
  
  
The gear, of course, referring to the trunks.  
  
  
Of course. Can we eat lunch together again? I made one just for you.  
  
  
This writing was quickly calming Shinji's nerve-racked mind.  
  
  
I would like to do that with you very much.  
  
  
And, of course, blushing on both of the writers' cheeks was natural.  
  
  
Thank you, Rei.  
  
  
Shinji felt like he could do this for a long while.  
  
  
And I thank you as well, Shinji. See you on the rooftop.  
  
  
Unfortunately, not long after the Third Child read that final note did the bells ring, signaling lunchtime for everyone after the class rep had everyone stand and bow before the sensei.  
  
Little did the two of them, or anyone else, realize that a pair of eyes had indeed caught them in their activity....  
  
  
-------  
  
Two minutes later, Asuka's eyes fluttered open after her sleep had been disturbed by a hand shaking her shoulder. Her temper immediately flared up as she grabbed the offending hand, prepared to slap the assailant, namely because she was damned sure it was Shinji, trying to offer some kind of apology.  
  
"Asuka?"  
  
The Second Child's restraint kicked in once she noticed that it had only been Hikari waking her up. "Oh, it's you."  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Hikari apologized. "I didn't startle you, did I?"  
  
Asuka quickly sighed and sat back, feeling a slight cramp in her back. "No, I just thought it was the dork."  
  
"Which one?" Hikari asked, giggling.  
  
Asuka couldn't help but grin. 'Well, at least she can cheer me up.' But as she looked around, her blue eyes noted no sign of whom she had originally been searching for.  
  
"Hey, Hikari.."  
  
The class rep quickly gave her a wondrous look after setting their food upon Asuka's desk. "Hmm?"  
  
"You haven't seen Shinji, have you?" Asuka inquired.  
  
"Not since he took off a minute ago or so," was Hikari's reply.  
  
"Well, where did he go!?!" The Second Child pounded her fist on the desk, feeling herself getting angry again, wanting to wallop Shinji good for disappearing on her.  
  
"I don't know, Asuka." The class rep quickly sat down and handed some of her home-cooked food to the redhead, putting on a good face, though inside she was a bit terrified.  
  
'If I really did see what I thought I saw earlier, she'll be pissed,' Hikari thought. 'And that doesn't even include yesterday..at the pool...'  
  
Fortunately for the brown-haired schoolgirl, Asuka went after the food right away, munching down as if she hadn't eaten for ages. It looked rather humorous, but at least it wasn't provoking laughter, and thus, putting the Second Child on edge again. Hikari decided not to worry about what she had seen for the moment and also began to eat.  
  
Since they were eating, the two of them paid no attention to anything else. that is, until Toji accidentally raised his voice.  
  
"So he really went up there with her?"  
  
Asuka's eyes widened, but she continued to eat, letting her ears do the work, thinking that they might slip a detail about Shinji's whereabouts. Her guess was about to pay off...  
  
"Shh." Kensuke quickly put a finger to his mouth and took a drink out of his bottle. "People will hear you. And, yes, he did!"  
  
"Ikari? No fucking way!" Toji exclaimed as quietly as he could, biting into his sandwich to try and mask the chatter. But Asuka knew better as she neither batted an eye nor threw a glare in their direction. As long as she let them run their mouths, she'd get the information she wanted.   
  
"Yeah, he did. She sort of asked him to, and he went with it. After I coaxed him, of course." Kensuke continued, grinning.  
  
"What do you mean, sort of, dude? Did she or didn't she ask him?"  
  
"She left him a note before heading to the roof."  
  
"Ohhh, man, he is so lucky!" Toji said after hearing that, feeling both slightly jealous and partially thankful for Shinji at the same time.  
  
"And after that, he met her at the pool again."  
  
"Again? What do you mean, again?"  
  
"Well, remember a couple days ago?" Kensuke's voice was a bit lower now that he had finished his food, but that didn't stop Asuka from eating slowly, not even paying attention to Hikari, who was lost in a daydream.  
  
"Yeah, what about it?" Toji asked, reclining in his seat. Then his expression changed as he understood what Kensuke was getting at. "Ohhh...so that was what Ayanami wanted to talk to him about?"  
  
Asuka ate a little louder. 'I knew Wondergirl had something to do with this!'  
  
"I don't know what it was about. And Shinji hasn't said why he went there that day, or yesterday, for that matter," Kensuke answered while fiddling with his camera.  
  
"He went there yesterday, too?"  
  
"Yeah. He even asked me to keep you-know-who off of him." With that, Kensuke gestured over to the Second Child, who had to chew just a bit harder to keep herself in check.  
  
"Whoooaa...didn't think you were that gutsy, having to get involved with her."  
  
Kensuke chuckled. "It was nothing, really. I just paid a classmate from the camera club to pretend to bully me up and run off with some of my money." He then sighed. "I had to forfeit that money to Asuka, though, after she caught the guy and almost broke his jaw."  
  
Asuka quickly made a mental note to herself to get Kensuke back for that little stunt, despite the decent share she'd received from catching the so-called thief.  
  
"I'm sorry, dude. I should've been there to back you up."  
  
"Naah," Kensuke replied, "It's alright. For Shinji's sake, it was worth it. Besides, after the whole ordeal, I snuck back to the pool to find out what was going on with him and Rei."  
  
"So, what was it?" Toji inquired.  
  
'Yes, indeed, what was it?' Asuka wondered.  
  
"They were in the pool together."  
  
"You mean they were making out in the pool!?!" Toji cried, letting his voice raise a little.  
  
After quieting Suzuhara back down, Kensuke went on. "Not from what I could see. Rei was more or less trying to keep Shinji from flopping like a fish the whole time."  
  
"Well, I suppose that makes sense. He did say he couldn't swim..."  
  
'The idiot can't swim? He never told me that!' This time, Asuka wasn't feeling as angry, because it somehow did make sense, though she didn't care to figure out why.  
  
"...hey, wait a sec, are you saying Rei's tutoring him?" Toji questioned, raising an eyebrow at his friend.  
  
"That's what I'm guessing," Kensuke replied.  
  
"Man...she's teaching him how to swim AND he gets to be close to her the whole time! Is anyone as lucky as Ikari is?"  
  
"And don't forget being an Eva pilot, to boot. Hell, Shinji's luckier than loaded dice."  
  
Both Kensuke and Toji broke out into laughter over that remark for a short while. After the commotion died down, Kensuke glanced upward. "Heh, looks like they're up there again."  
  
Toji followed his friend's lead in a not too subtle fashion, craning his neck and face so he didn't have to adjust his sitting position. Sure enough, his view could make out the unmistakable features of both Shinji and Rei, and although they were a good distance away, it could be easily inferred that they were enjoying each other's company.  
  
"Wow," Suzuhara said while in a daze, "you ain't kidding..."  
  
That only furthered Asuka's building rage. 'That jerk! How dare he eat with her again and not with ME?' Yet, she kept her cool.  
  
"Think they'll be at the pool again today?" Toji wondered.  
  
"Oh, you bet they will!"  
  
At this point, Asuka was nearly ready to storm over to the two Stooges and knock their asses from one end of Tokyo-3 to the other. Not to mention how badly she wanted to drop in on Shinji and Rei's little gathering.  
  
After a few moments, a devilish smile crossed her face. 'Let the idiot and his doll have their fun,' she thought as she finished her food. 'I'll have mine later.'  
  
And so did today's lunch progress, with wandering thoughts, playful daydreams, and the lone redhead, masterminding her vengeance...  
  
  
-------  
  
For the rest of the day, classes were as uneventful as usual. Needless to say, the students were excited once the bells rang and the class rep dismissed them.  
  
Toji and Kensuke could easily have been the most joyous, seeing as how the weekend was coming forth after this day. "YEE-HAH!" they yelled in unison, giving each other a hig-five, then hastily packing their books and papers. Shinji also had a satisfied look on his face, though his packing was slower, more organized.  
  
"So, Shinji, enjoy your lunch with Rei?" Toji asked in a teasing manner as he slung his pack over hid shoulder.  
  
"Yep," was the Third Child's simple answer.  
  
Suzuhara felt a bit taken by surprise. Shinji was never usually this calm when talking about Ayanami in this manner!  
  
"And I bet you're going to head for the pool again, aren't you?" Kensuke questioned in a follow-up response.  
  
"Something like that," Shinji said as he closed up his backpack. "Why, are you guys going to stop by?"  
  
That caused Toji and Kensuke to crack up for a few moments. "Naah, Rei's all yours, dude!" Kensuke called with a grin as the duo waved to Shinji and promptly departed.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Thanks, guys. Thanks for understanding,' he thought as his body moved itself off to the pool area for his second session.  
  
'It...feels so nice to be around Rei like this. Maybe Toji and Kensuke were right after all...'  
  
Shinji then hoped today wouldn't be as embarrassing as yesterday's introductory lesson. But, then again, he figured, the first time was always a rather unusual experience. So had things been with piloting Unit 01, and although it didn't provoke nearly as much fear, the session with Rei hadn't been an exception to that rule. Yet, for all the embarrassment he had suffered, Shinji also believed he had gotten through probably one of the biggest hurdles in taking that first step.  
  
Also, despite how much he felt like denying it, a small part of him couldn't deny that his closeness to the First Child that day had felt rather delightful, a sort of soothing for only his shaky nerves.  
  
'It's so....euphoric. I....Do I like this...?' Shinji pondered while lost in his mind for a few minutes.  
  
A weird feeling near his legs caused him to look down and yelp as his cheeks went red, as he noticed a bulge within the pants of his uniform. Though Shinji kept walking, he casually held the backpack with one arm, trying to cover the obvious erection from view.  
  
'Geez, that's embarrassing as hell,' Shinji thought as he hurried his steps over to the pool. 'I hope no one saw that...'  
  
Of course, though the Third Child didn't know it, someone had seen this. Of course, this person did what she could to remain out of any possible sight of Shinji, though it wasn't necessary, due to how abnormally dense Shinji could be at times.   
  
'The dork wouldn't expect me to sneak around like this, after all!' That thought brought a smirk to Asuka's face as she silently continued to stalk her daydreaming prey...  
  
  
-------  
  
Stillness was the dominating factor in the view of the First Child as her body drifted along the surface of the pool water. Every now and then, a stroke or two to keep her afloat, but for the most part, the ceiling was what her eyes focused on as she waited for her student.  
  
'No,' Rei thought. 'Shinji is more than just a student...he is a friend...a fellow pilot....someone whom shows care for me in ways no one else would. Ways that are foreign in my life, and yet....they also feel quite nice. I feel like I can be more than what I show to others around him. Does he truly bring this out from within me?'  
  
Noises emanating at a distance from her, as well as a slight cry of pain accompanied by a slight curse, indicated the Third Child's arrival.  
  
Rei let herself smile just a little, having to keep from giggling. 'Yes...Ikari also makes me laugh...something only he has ever done.' Knowing Shinji would be out shortly, the First Child began to move herself to the edge of the pool, near where she had two large towels spread out on the tiled floor to lay on, as well as a pair of small towels to dry hair off with. She had found this arrangement to be useful when she swam alone, and hoped Shinji would find it to his liking as well.  
  
Soon enough, the Third Child jogged over to her and sat down upon a towel, partially out of breath, which caused Rei to ask him, "What is wrong?"  
  
"Huh?" Shinji gave Rei a rather dumbfounded look, but realized what she was talking about. "Nothing. I just didn't want you to wait that long, so I ran. Kinda tripped in the process, too."  
  
"Are you injured?" Rei inquired.  
  
Shinji shook his head. "Just startled me, that's all."  
  
"That is good. Then we can proceed." As she said this, her hands met Shinji's, and the boy felt an object pressed into his hands.  
  
"What..?" he wondered, looking down and seeing the object he was now holding, which turned out to be a pair of goggles. "What are these for?"  
  
"Yesterday, you learned how to exist in water. Today, I shall help you experience the sensation of being under the water. The eyepiece will let you see what lies beneath, without giving you a terrible eyesore."  
  
"Th-thanks, Rei.." Shinji slightly stammered as he slipped the goggles on, noticing that the lenses were made of dark-colored material, hence dimming his view once the eyepieces fit into place. He then quickly stepped into the pool with her, feeling a slight chill run up his spine as his body once again immersed itself.  
  
"You are not so nervous today, I see," the First Child stated, noting the rather calmed manner in which her student stepped in and waded around.  
  
"Yeah," Shinji responded, beaming with a bit of confidence.  
  
Rei smiled at him just a little. 'Perhaps today will go better....'  
  
  
-------  
  
Meanwhile, not more than a couple hundred feet away, Kensuke Ida found himself struggling in a headlock, trying to make noise in protest. The attacker had given no warning before jumping him from behind not long after the boy had decided to split from Toji for the day and check up on Shinji. And whomever it was, they were quite good, applying just enough pressure to make him think twice before doing crying out. Hence, his squirming was rather quiet, though full of half-assed attempts to eascape.  
  
Soon, though, Kensuke felt a movement and quickly figured out not only that the attacker's face was close to his own, but also whom it was that had gotten to him.  
  
A feminine voice whispered into his ear, "I heard about your little stunt the other day. If you want to avoid another incident, you'll do what I tell you." The girl then squeezed her arms just a bit tighter around Ida's head. "Got it!?!"  
  
"Got it! Got it! Let me go, dammit!" Kensuke managed to spit out before the assailant released her grip on him, causing him to fall to the floor. Once he gathered his bearings, he sat himself up and looked at the girl's face. "Geez, Asuka, why did you have to do that?"  
  
Asuka quickly got her zero-to-sixty angry look in less than a second and proceeded to grab him by the collar and haul him back up to his feet, keeping him against the wall. "That, as I said, was for yesterday's little faked pounding." She then beckoned with a hand. "Now, unless you want to find out what a real pounding is like, fork over that camera!"  
  
Kensuke knew Toji might call him a wuss for giving in to Asuka like this, but as he handed the camera to the redhead, he was moreso worried about what she planned to do with it in regard to Shinji.  
  
Asuka quickly looked the camera over. "There is a working disc in here, right?"  
  
"Y-yes, of course, there always is..."  
  
The Second Child then smirked. "Good! Now I'll just shoot this little session and it'll speak volumes over any lame excuse he tries to give me." With that, Asuka activated the device, centered her eye in the viewpiece, and pointed it right out at the two unsuspecting pilots in the water, being damn sure to use the zoom feature to ensure that the whole thing was caught by this footage.  
  
Kensuke, noting that her attention seemed to be focused on Shinji and Rei, started to tiptoe out of the office room that he and Asuka were in.  
  
"Better stay in that seat, Kensuke, unless you want me to keep your precious recorder!" Asuka threatened, pointing with one finger exactly upon the chair he had just been sitting in, never taking her gaze from the eyepiece.  
  
Kensuke sighed and sat himself back down, knowing Asuka hit a nerve in that he would never really give up that camera for anything. It was part of his life and identity, after all.  
  
"That little dork!" Asuka muttered to himself while keeping close watch on Rei and Shinji's activity. "Never told me he couldn't swim..." she continued as her mumbling dropped in volume, allowing Kensuke to at least let his guard down a bit as he slipped out his homework.   
  
'Looks like I'm stuck here, for the moment,' Ida thought to himself as he slipped out his homework as quietly as possible. 'Better make pointful use of the time.'  
  
  
-------  
  
As before, after 2 hours' time, the lesson was concluded, and the First and Third Children went their respective ways to change into their regular clothing.  
  
"Looks like the lovebirds' time is over," Asuka declared, stopping the recording and casually popping the video disc out of its casing, handing the camera itself to Kensuke afterward, who was halfheartedly engaged in a difficult math assignment.  
  
"I'll just hang on to this for safekeeping and possible extortion!" the Second Child then exclaimed, slipping the aforementioned disc into her bag and giving Kensuke a rather silly, though still treacherous, smirk. "You understand, of course, don't you?"  
  
"Um, yeah..." Kensuke replied with shaky resolve while trying to stow away his textbooks.  
  
"Good boy!" Asuka exclaimed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and moving for the door. "That takes care of Shinji," she then muttered as she left, "now for Wondergirl...sayonara, Stooge!"  
  
Kensuke could finally breathe a sigh of relief after she left. 'Thank God that's over with,' he mused as he inspected his recorder to make sure Asuka didn't damage it in any way. Knowing how she'd needed it so much to capture footage of Shinji and Rei together, it was an easily made assumption that the camera wasn't damaged. That didn't stop the tan-haired voyeur from checking it out anyway, out of pure paranoia.  
  
Fortunately, the device was still in as good of condition as it had been when she started recording. 'Thank God she's only bitchy and vengeful, not destructive.'  
  
The noise of footsteps prompted Kensuke to slide out of his chair and take a knee as he observed through the opened office doorway the tutor and her student walking off together. He hadn't made too much noise, or so his brain kept telling him as his heart raced, hoping he wasn't seen by them. That would be a tad embarrassing for the smallest Stooge.  
  
After several long moments passed, the footsteps faded, and Kensuke finally stood back up, resuming on his action to pack his things. Once he was done ensuring all his supplies were packed in properly, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed up a number.  
  
The line was picked up, and a voice came over the receiver. "mm..hello?"  
  
"Toji!" Kensuke exclaimed, in a whispering voice, despite the fact that there was no one around to eavesdrop. "It's me!"  
  
"Uhnnn...Kensuke...what time is it?" Toji asked, groggy from having his nap interrupted by this sudden call.  
  
"Only a couple of hours since school," Ida answered.  
  
"Aww, geez. I was trying to take a nap, dude!" Needless to say, Toji was a tad annoyed at this.  
  
"Sorry about that, but you just gotta hear this!"  
  
"It had better be worth it.."  
  
"It is. Trust me, Toji!"  
  
  
-------  
  
Not long after departing from school, Ikari and Ayanami found themselves walking the Tokyo-3 streets alongside one another, rarely any conversation ensuing, as was often the case. Just because Shinji had managed to overcome an obstacle or two on his way towards learning the skill of swimming didn't mean he was any less scared. And although these lessons were giving him yet another sense of closeness to the mysterious First Child that few could fathom, it was nevertheless dangerous territory to tread upon for a psyche as fragile as his.  
  
Thankfully for Shinji, Rei decided to break the all too common silence between them. "Today's lesson went well."  
  
Shinji turned his face to gaze at her as they continued upon their journey. "You really think so?"  
  
"Yes. You seem well-adjusted to being within the water now."  
  
"Thank you, Rei. It means a lot, coming from you."  
  
The First Child's only response to that was a slight nod as she halted in her tracks.   
  
Shinji stopped as well, a bewildered look upon his features at her. "Wh-why did you stop?"  
  
Her answer was simple. "This is where our paths separate."  
  
As a consequence, Shinji indeed examined the intersection they were at and deduced that indeed they would now have to go different ways to get to their respective homes.  
  
"Oh....um, yeah, of course!" he said, managing a nervous laugh as she waited for a walk light. But he still felt compelled to keep going with her. "Um, Rei..."  
  
"What is it?" Neither her face nor stance altered to meet the eyes of the Third Child.  
  
"I....um.....err...." Yet again, Shinji just couldn't figure out what he wanted to tell her. 'God, why is this so damn hard?'  
  
Without warning, the walk light displayed itself, and so Rei began to step off the curb and onto the street. Oddly, Shinji's mind freaked just a bit as his hand shot out and gently took her shoulder. "Hold on..."  
  
This time, the First Child did turn around to face him, her crimson eyes meeting his frightened look. 'I do not understand,' she thought, 'why does he look so worried?'  
  
The look continued for a few more seconds before Shinji finally acted, pulling her towards him and bringing his arms around her body in a rather sudden, but well-meaning hug.  
  
As for Rei, her mind was alive with shock. 'Is this...affection he is bestowing? This is unexpected...but...it feels so positive...'  
  
Fortunately, the body seemed to be a bit more on track then the mind as her own arms found their way across Shinji's sides and back, completing the embrace and causing a realization of how warm it felt to be holding someone.  
  
Of course, many good things must end, and so did this occasion, after a couple minutes of silence, neither one wanting to end the moment so soon, nor admit to such a desire. But eventually, their arms came apart, and they were soon back to standing closely together, so close, in fact, they each could almost feel the other's breath upon them.  
  
Rei then took a step back, her cheeks going red. "I must be going now."  
  
Shinji felt a bit embarrassed himself, but also more at ease now that he had actually tried to connect with her, just a little. "Take care, Rei. See you on Monday?"  
  
Once again, Ikari's stomach was full of butterflies as Ayanami showed another of her petite, but heartwarming smiles.   
  
"Yes," was her response. "Take care....Shinji." With that, she then spun on her heel and calmly walked across the street, towards her place of living.  
  
The young Ikari felt even more dazed than previous times when he and the blue-haired girl had shared a close moment, standing at the curb for many silent seconds. Afterward, his thoughts found a reason to snap him out of his stupor.  
  
'I can't forget that Asuka wanted to talk to me today...but about what?'  
  
Shinji wasn't really worried, but with the redhead, he always had to be on guard. So he decided to take his trip home nice and slow.  
  
  
-------  
  
Mechanical noise. Pistons, gears, axels, and pumps, all operating in clumsy, monotonous motion. Such was the norm in the neighborhood of the First Child.  
  
'Why do I live here?' she wondered as her inner monologue once again presided over her mental awareness during these travels, more or less dulling her senses to the point of nonexistence as her feet carried her towards home on their own, as if it were second nature.   
  
'Is this just a place to exist? A place of...identity?'  
  
'What is home? Is where I live home? Home is a base of one's self, one's identity, isn't it? Yet, my home has little. Only what I need. What is need? Need is that which we deem we must have. Yet, is that also not a definition of want?'  
  
'What is it that I want? Do I...want...anything within my life?'  
  
'Water. Again, I see endless blue. Another image...that of myself. But it is not myself as a person, but rather, myself as a tutor. A tutor to one known as Ikari. Shinji Ikari. A person that I feel something about. I feel...bonded to him. Is this in the same way I am connected to Unit 00? No, this bond is...different.'  
  
'This feeling of attachment to him....it....it is-'  
  
A sudden feeling of physical blockage broke her thoughts apart and forced her eyes to focus.   
  
Quickly did Rei determine where she was, as well as what had stopped her. Her location was that of still being on the street, but not more than ten feet from the entrance to her building. Normally, such would be followed by ascending a floor and then walking a hallway to the dull metallic door that represented possible entry into her apartment. But her entry had been blocked, namely because someone was in the way.  
  
"Pardon me," Rei quietly said, trying to get past the person, believing that she had accidentally bumped into whomever it was that stood here, seeing as how she hadn't been watching her step.  
  
The intruder, however, remained in place, continuing to block Ayanami's presence from entering the doorway. And as Rei brought her eyes up to identify this person, her brain didn't take long in figuring out the features of lengthy flame-colored hair, piercing blue eyes, and overall sneer that was the defining look of the Second Child.  
  
"Hello, Wondergirl. Home a little late, aren't you?" Asuka's voice had a defiant and aggressive tone in it.  
  
Rei could easily guess that this short-fused visitor wasn't here because of getting lost. It simply wasn't in the redhead's nature.  
  
"Is something wrong?" the First Child questioned of the girl in front of her.  
  
"Oh, nooo. Nothing at all." It didn't take a rocket scientist to discern the obvious sarcasm in Asuka's voice.  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
"Let me ask you first. Shouldn't you have come home right after classes?"  
  
"Normally, yes."  
  
"And what the hell doesn't classify as normal for you, First Child!?! Nearly anything other than walking home or going to NERV for some reason or another. Plus, I can certainly bet that it would undoubtedly include teaching that wimp Ikari about being able to thrash in the water."  
  
"So I was right. You knew after all...."  
  
Asuka immediately closed the distance between herself and Rei, close enough to be considered violating personal space by most societal and legal norms, with her aqua eyes flaring. "Just exactly what are you doing teaching Shinji about swimming anyway?"  
  
"He admitted to me that he was unable to do that. So I chose to help him in such an endeavor."  
  
"Oh, so you weren't ordered to by the Commander or anyone else, hmm?" Again, Asuka's words dripped sarcasm, with a healthy dose of venom.  
  
"No, I was not." In perfect contrast, Rei's voice remained calm and still. "Shinji was frustrated at his inability to swim. I felt compelled to aid him."  
  
"Oh, it's Shinji now, is it? And exactly why wouldn't anyone tell me any of this?" Asuka demanded. "Answer me that one, Ayanami!"  
  
Rei tilted her head at Asuka slightly, as if giving her a questioning look. "Did you ever ask him?"  
  
"Wh...what was that!?!" the Second Child replied, her eyes narrowing as if being challenged.  
  
"Did you ever ask Shinji about it?"  
  
"Why the fucking hell should I have to ask him about it?" At this point, neither girl could really tell when the German-blooded female's temper would go over the edge.  
  
"He seems reluctant to offer you any kind of talk, unless you bully it out of him, out of fear of being hurt. Such is my observation of your relationship with him."  
  
"Relationship? Relationship? And just what would you know about relationships?"  
  
"I know they exist. I have ones with NERV personnel, though those are mostly the same. I also have ones that are different in nature, such as those with Dr. Akagi, Commander Ikari, Shinji, the Evangelion, and you."  
  
"Then what's your relationship with Shinji? Are you his girlfriend now?"  
  
Rei cocked her eyebrow just a bit. "I...do not understand that term."  
  
"Are you close to that moron?"  
  
"Yes, but he is not a moron, as you call him."  
  
Asuka slammed her fist into the wall near them. "To hell if he isn't! He's idiotic, a dork and a jerk! I'll bet anything he's only still a pilot because he's the Commander's son..."  
  
Rei could feel a bit of impatience growing within herself, but refused to let the often emotionally brittle Third Child be verbally battered like this. "He is none of those labels to me. I do not treat him the same way you do. Also, we are treated no better than anyone else."  
  
'God, I want to hurt this bitch so badly!' Sohryu complained mentally, but decided to continue the debate for now, feeling sure that she could beat the stoic pilot in front of her.  
  
Ayanami then posed another question. "Why are you so interested in the bond that Shinji and I share?"  
  
"Oh, so it's no longer a relationship, huh? You think it's some kind of...connection? Ugh! To him? You're crazy."  
  
"Of what interest is it to you?" Rei repeated. "You live with him. Do you seek this level of connection as well?"  
  
Asuka's only response to that was a bit of a wide-eyed stare.  
  
"Or is the fact that my lessons with him take time away from him being around you, and as a result, no one to lash out at when you're feeling lonely?"  
  
Now the redheaded femme was pissed. To an exponential degree simply because this was Rei picking out vulnerabilities. The Second Child's body chose to act before her mind, placing both hands against the First and giving her a rough shove, causing the smaller girl to stumble back into the wall.  
  
Not one second had passed since contact with the wall before Asuka again closed the distance, flexing her hand and gritting her teeth. Rei kept a neutral face, despite grimacing just a little from the pain.  
  
A silence passed between them. Unlike the ones shared between instructor and student, this was not one of awkwardness, but of tension and hostility.  
  
Ayanami finally spoke, having a good clue about what the temperamental pilot's intentions were. "Don't."  
  
Asuka did little more than show teeth. "And why not?"  
  
"It would produce no positive results as pilots-"  
  
"Horseshit! This isn't about the pilots known as the First and Second Child, nor Evangelion Units 00 and 02. This is about you and me."  
  
"You are forgetting Shinji."  
  
"Oh, no, I haven't forgotten his sorry ass, which will be mine after I'm through with you."  
  
"Do not do this. It will not solve anything."  
  
"Maybe not, but it'll certainly give me peace of mind."  
  
Rei said nothing in response, so Asuka took the initiative.  
  
"No more talk, you mindless doll..." With that, the first production-model Eva pilot cocked her fist with lightning speed and plunged it toward the face of whom she just labeled as a sort of toy.  
  
Had the blow connected, serious damage would have been inflicted upon the left cheek as well as the jawbone. Alas, Asuka's fist was stopped short but an inch from Rei's face as she noted (with great surprise) that the First Child's hand had caught her tightened hand, clutching it to avoid being struck.  
  
The surprise was but momentary as the aggressor noticed her supposed victim's blocking arm trembling. That clued the redhead in on the fact that while Rei had stopped her, she probably wasn't of any greater strength than her, if at all.   
  
Three more shocks upon the Second Child happened consequentially afterward. First of all, Rei pushed back with her defending hand, causing Asuka's limb to fly back just enough to be out of harm's way before the assaulter regained control of her arm. Next, the often serene crimson eyes of the quiet girl flared, as if truly coming to life for the first time in her existence.  
  
Insulting her Evangelion piloting skills was irrelevant. Verbally bashing her life was also insignificant in the sky-colored girl's world. Putting down one who deserved her care such as Shinji brought out strong defensive emotions from within her heart. But, above all else, no matter what others said, thought, or believed about her, Rei Ayanami would never tolerate such a stinging blow.  
  
Finally did the third shock present itself to Asuka, in the form of a set of words from Rei that would prove to be the last words ever of them would utter for several hours.  
  
"I am NOT a doll!"  
  
  
-------  
  
Around 7:00 p.m...  
  
The evening's darkness was settling upon the secretive Tokyo-3, and Shinji wasn't being any different, laying upon the floor while attempting to do homework and watch a boring television show at the same time.  
  
Shinji hadn't known the approximate time, however, until he actually glanced at a mechanical clock hung upon the wall.  
  
'Asuka's not home yet...and Misato isn't either...that's odd.'  
  
Sighing and deciding not to worry about Asuka's desire to talk, the young Ikari strode to the kitchen in a lazy manner and placed a thawed fish into Pen-Pen's dish, after which he turned off the television, gathered his homework, and placed it within his room to continue working there.   
  
His anticipation paid off as a few minutes later saw the waddling penguin emerging from the miniature refrigerator space that was enough to be a sufficient resting space, the animal's stimulated scent and growling stomach driving it to its dinner. Needless to say, Pen-Pen was happy with Shinji's excellent timing, despite the fact that the boy apparently forgot to put out and open a can of beer to wash down the fish.  
  
The Third Child found homework to be about as boring as the television show he had been watching, not that he remembered what he had been watching anyway, but he chose to stick it out. As a result, after another hour of brain-racking and tense concentration, the homework was completed, followed by a sigh of relief from Shinji.  
  
'Looks like the day really is over...' he thought with a relaxing smile.  
  
And yet, Ikari was dead wrong.   
  
It all began with the shrill ringing of the phone. Shinji found himself scrambling to get to it, bumping his shin against a wall upon his journey to the kitchen. Upon picking up the cordless and connecting the call, he could easily hear heavy breathing over the other end. Whomever it was, they were exhausted.  
  
"Hello?" the Third Child nervously called in greeting.  
  
"Good, Shinji, you're home." This was the Major's powerful voice.  
  
"Oh, hi, Misato. Good to hear from you."  
  
"Thanks. I wish I could say the same, but..."  
  
"Huh? What's wrong?"  
  
"I'll explain when I arrive there. Get dressed and wait outside for me. I'll be there in ten minutes." Misato not only sounded fatigued, but rushed as well.  
  
"Umm, where are we going?"  
  
"The hospital."  
  
Shinji's eyes went wide. This was indeed important. "...Asuka?"  
  
"Something like that...like I said, I'll tell you when I get there." With that, Misato promptly hung up the line.  
  
Ikari chose not to listen to the droning this time, disconnecting his end of the line and hurriedly slipping on his shoes. Since he was given a ten-minute time limit, Shinji chose not to change clothes, preferring instead to remain in his school uniform as his feet swiftly carried him out the door and to the elevator.  
  
Yet, while in the elevator, the mind began to wander just a little, flowing with the emotions of anxiety and worry.  
  
'Why is Misato taking me to the hospital? Did something happen to Asuka? Or Rei? Maybe both? Or maybe Misato is mad at me...'  
  
'Rei said she would -take care of it- if Asuka went after me again. What did she mean by that? Will she be harmed? I don't want Rei to be hurt because of me...'  
  
'Asuka....why did you want to talk with me? Was it something serious, or did you just want to vent frustrations at me, like you often do? Or are you hurt because of something I did?'  
  
'No! I can't get like this! I can't chicken out. I musn't run away!'  
  
Fortunately, the descent down took very little time, so Shinji wasn't freaking out for too long before regaining his composure, stepping through the lobby area and to the outside, patiently awaiting the Major's arrival, as he had been instructed.  
  
Ten minutes didn't do Misato's dark blue junker justice as it barreled itself towards the building, making a decent stop near Shinji, yet the move left some skid marks on the pavement.  
  
With near-perfect timing, the passenger door swung open. "Come on," Misato said in a voice that sounded rather subdued, a great departure from her frantic talk earlier.  
  
Obediently, Ikari stepped inside, shut the door, sat down, and fastened his seat belt as Misato did a 180 with the car and began a speedy, yet careful ride towards their intended destination.  
  
"So...what's wrong? Did something happen to Asuka?" Shinji finally asked after feeling strong enough to handle Misato's current state.  
  
"Asuka...got in a fight."  
  
"A...fight...Asuka...?" Shinji felt rather stunned.  
  
"Yes, a fight. Not the kind involving words that you two have, either. A physical fight, like those you have against the Angels."  
  
"Is she ok?"  
  
"Not emotionally, that's for sure. She's got...issues. Physically, she only sustained a few bruises and a black eye."  
  
"Who else was involved?"  
  
Misato didn't answer.  
  
"Misato, who was Asuka fighting with...?"  
  
Again, no response. Shinji had a really bad feeling about this now. He didn't want to know the answer, but he desired the truth.  
  
"Misato, please, tell me.."  
  
"It...it was Rei."  
  
"Wh....what?"  
  
"Yes, Shinji. Asuka got into a fight with Rei."  
  
"But...Rei is so....fragile....why would Asuka do such a thing?"  
  
"I don't know, yet. I plan on talking to her once we get there."   
  
"And...how is Rei?"  
  
Misato smiled. Somehow, her female intuition had figured on the boy feeling more sympathetic for the First Child, and that question proved the gut call. But her smile quickly changed back into a frown. "As far as I was told, her injuries are about as bad, possibly worse."  
  
"They're....they're worse?"  
  
"They could be worse, Shinji. Don't start jumping to conclusions, ok?"  
  
"Alright, I...I promise."  
  
Misato forced herself to give Shinji a gentle smile. "Good..." After that, the Major's voice trailed off as the conversation died right then and there, each person consumed in their own thoughts.  
  
  
-------  
  
A short while later, the purple-haired guardian and her charge arrived at the hospital ward specifically designed for NERV personnel. Due to the high rate of injury, it was common for any Eva pilot to spend a fair share of time here. But, as Shinji knew, this was normally due to accidents during operations, not when two of the pilots of such powerful and fearsome weapons had engaged in a brutal person-to-person fistfight.  
  
Of course, the Third Child wasn't all that interested in making such comparisons as he and Misato proceed to the designated recovery rooms for the First and Second, respectively. Shinji had chosen to visit Rei first, focusing more on his worry for her well-being than the brimming anger he felt toward Asuka, whom Misato had chosen to question about the ordeal.  
  
Soon enough, Shinji found Rei's room. Hoping no one else was around, he opened the door and slipped inside. His fear settled as he only noticed his tutor lying in bed, still in her school garb, like himself. She apparently seemed to be sleeping at first, but Shinji couldn't see very well, so he flipped on the light switch.  
  
A gasp was heard as this action took place, causing Ikari to flinch a bit and take another look. Though her body was in a restful position, Ayanami's eyes were quite open. And those eyes soon found themselves upon those of her visitor.  
  
"Ikari..."   
  
Shinji needed no further encouragement to rush to her, taking a chair and seating himself at her side. Tears had welled up in his eyes, but he didn't care as he placed his head upon her and cried just a little. "I...I'm glad you're alright, Rei.."  
  
However, his ears picked up on ragged breathing, which he responded to by looking up and seeing that Rei's eyes had closed, as well as her teeth gritted together. Judging by the look, the Third Child guessed that she was in pain, and that he was the reason behind it, causing him to lift his head back up and sob that much more. "I...I'm sorry....I'm really sorry!"  
  
"No," Rei stated, trying her best to control her own reaction to avoid making Shinji cry any more than he was already. "It is not your fault."  
  
Shinji quieted down a little to listen to her. "Wh-what do you mean?"  
  
"It is not your fault that I am injured."  
  
"But then why..."  
  
"I'll show you." With that, Rei moved down the sheet covering her and casually lifted up just enough of her shirt to expose the lower half of her torso.  
  
Initially, Shinji averted his eyes, embarrassed that at the First Child's apparent lack of modesty in revealing her body, like during his first time in her apartment. She hadn't blushed once during that encounter, simply having him get off of her and redressing as if nothing had happened.  
  
This time, however, was a bit different, as Ayanmi's normally pale, yet beautiful skin showed a decent amount of discoloration over the right half of her ribcage.  
"Is...this what hurts?" Shinji asked.  
  
Rei chuckled softly, soft enough that Ikari didn't notice. 'He is slow at times, but that is not a flaw in itself,' she mused within her mind as she let her shirt back down and carefully moved up to a sitting position, wincing a bit in pain from the motion.  
  
Shinji kept his eyes on her, and although he had stopped shedding tears, he was still full of worry. "How bad...how bad is it?"  
  
"There was internal bleeding. It has been stopped, but I must stay here for a few days for testing." This was, of course, only a half-truth, though Rei really didn't know if Shinji could handle the other half.  
  
"Oh...and the weekend is coming...so..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You won't be around on Monday to instruct me, will you?"  
  
"No. I am afraid not."  
  
Shinji sighed. "It's ok...it was fun while it-"  
  
"Pilot Sohryu will be my substitute on Monday."  
  
That caused the Third Child's eyes to widen and look directly at her. "Wh....what?"  
  
"Before you arrived, she and I had a discussion. We should have done so before our conflict, but it has already happened."  
  
"Why...did she do it?"  
  
"She was upset."  
  
"Upset? At what? Me?"  
  
"Yes, and no."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She was not upset at you, but rather the fact that she did not know of your circumstance which led me to teach you."  
  
"I...never told her. But she never asked..."  
  
"A point I brought up to her as well. After her temper settled, she came and let me know of her desire to also help you in this quest of yours to swim, in some capacity."  
  
"In some capacity..?" Shinji repeated. "A compromise?"  
  
"Yes. While I will not be around Monday, I shall resume attending school the day after, and again I shall aid you. But for that day, and as such will be so every week for the moment, Pilot Sohryu will be your instructor."  
  
"I...I'm..." Try as he might, Ikari couldn't exactly try to figure out an appropriate response.  
  
At that time, the door opened and Misato stepped inside. "Shinji."  
  
The Third Child looked immediately at his caretaker. "Y-Yes?"  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Yet, Shinji hadn't yet finished talking to Rei. "Can I have another minute or so?"  
  
Katsuragi nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting outside." She then slid the door shut, leaving the two children alone together once again.   
  
Shinji looked back to Rei, noticing that her eyes were a little bloodshot. "I...I guess you're feeling a bit tired."  
  
"Yes. I will sleep soon."  
  
"Oh...ok. Well, I guess Asuka's ready, so I guess I'll be going..." Shinji replied, slowly standing and turning to leave the room.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Ikari pivoted around again and gave the girl a questioning look. "I...uh, is something wrong, Rei?"  
  
Her only response was to pat the side of her bed. "Please, sit down."  
  
Shinji started blushing quickly, but did as she had asked, keeping one leg on the floor to remain balanced. However, as he gazed upon her still face, he realized just how unable he truly was to decipher anything from her features. Yet the young Ikari liked it that way, because he felt safe around the introverted First Child, as if she would protect him no matter what happened.  
  
To neither one's surprise, a silence ensued. But where the previous ones were long and uneasy, this one lasted for only a few seconds as each pilot lost themselves in the other's captivating gaze, after which Rei crept her arms up and around Shinji's chest and back, pulling him to her in a tight, but gentle embrace.  
  
The cheeks of the Third Child were even redder now, but it didn't stop him from holding her in return. She felt soft against his body and it made him smile. That wasn't the only surprise in store for him, however, as Rei, being as silent as an assassin, placed her lips upon his cheek and gently kissed the warm skin.  
  
Shinji froze when he began to feel all this. 'Is....is this real?' he wondered, not knowing whether his mind would cause him to faint or panic. Thankfully, the momentary fear passed as Rei separated herself from him very slowly.   
  
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. The sound of her voice so close to him made Ikari's spine tingle.  
  
"...for what?" Shinji asked.  
  
Rei removed her arms from him and laid back down upon the bed. "For caring," she answered, giving him another of her peaceful smiles. The smile then faded as the First Child closed her eyes and relaxed herself in an effort to fall asleep.   
  
Shinji nodded. "Always, Rei..." He then let himself out, being as quiet as possible, knowing that rest would be important for her, while also making a mental note to check up on her in a couple of days.  
  
Naturally, Misato was waiting in the hallway, getting up from her chair as the Third Child exited Ayanami's room. "Everything alright?" she inquired.  
  
"Mm-hmm," Shinji replied, looking down both sides of the hallway. "Hey...where's Asuka?"  
  
"She's waiting in the car," the Major said as she dusted herself off and slipped on her jacket. "Let's roll."  
  
  
-------  
  
The trip home proved to be uneventful, as neither the driver nor her pair of passengers chose to talk about anything in regard to the transpirings of the day. Not even the Second Child, who normally was quite the chatterbox for purposes of either getting on Ikari's nerves or bragging about herself, was oddly quiet.   
  
Asuka, as Shinji had discovered, hadn't been as badly damaged in the scuffle. Though a rather noticeable shiner was seen upon her right eye, nowhere else on her body seemed to have incurred any injury. To insure proper healing, the NERV medical staff had wrapped some bandages as well as a pad over the eye. As a result, it made her look a bit like Rei when Shinji had first met her.  
  
Within an hour, they arrived home and were in their respective rooms. Misato, of course, had herself a few drinks before entering into a noisy slumber. Asuka had simply stormed off without a word or even a nasty look.  
  
Shinji, however, found it difficult to fall asleep, as his brain was alive with random thoughts about today...  
  
'So Rei is going to be okay. I'm glad she's alright.'   
  
'But, did I cause her to have this pain? Or was it pain she chose to take for me?'  
  
'And as for Asuka, she didn't say a word to me on the way home. Does this mean she didn't want to talk to me, like in her note?'   
  
'Is she upset with me? Or maybe disgusted with me?'  
  
'Misato didn't seem particularly pleased, either. Or maybe she just wanted to break habit in drinking a few more beers than usual?'  
  
'I wish I could just fall asleep...these thoughts are really-'  
  
"Hey."  
  
Startled, Shinji yelped and sat up immediately, looking frantically for the source of the disturbance. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light seeping in through the window, allowing him to recognize Asuka's bandages and face, as well as her position of kneeling on the floor. He also quickly realized that he felt sweaty from his restlessness as he wiped some moisture from his brow.  
  
"Oh, hi, Asuka."   
  
"We never did talk, you know." Surprisingly, Asuka's tone was rather subdued. Whether it was because of the fight, or simply because she didn't feel like waking Misato up, Shinji didn't know.  
  
"W-well...I thought you just wanted to go to sleep."  
  
"The weekend's coming up, dork. There'll be plenty of time for sleeping in." By this time, Asuka had gone from being on her knees to sitting cross-legged.  
  
"Um, so...well, is it true?"  
  
"Is what true? If you mean that Wondergirl and I fought, of course it is."  
  
"No...I already knew about that."  
  
"What did you want to know then, hmm?" Asuka had a bit of a leer on her face at this point.  
  
"Are you really going to take over for Rei on Monday?"  
  
In an instant did the Second Child's face become rather embarrassed at her outburst. "That's right." But she got a smirk back on her face in no time flat. "And don't expect me to go easy on you, Shinji Ikari!"  
  
Shinji couldn't help but laugh, just a little. "I wouldn't think you'd be any other way, Asuka."  
  
Words then ceased being spoken between the two pilots for a few moments before Asuka posed a question. "So...why didn't you ever tell me?"  
  
"Tell you what?"  
  
"You know, that you couldn't swim."  
  
"I guess.....well, I guess just because you never asked me."  
  
"I'm not surprised," Asuka said, scoffing as she slowly rose to her feet. "But while this little talk has been fun, I'm now in need of rest, since: one, I'm fatigued; and two, this stinging black eye Wondergirl laid upon me. You wouldn't know it from the look of her, but she can throw a hell of a cross."  
  
"I never knew that about her."   
  
"And you never will, as long as you don't call her a doll. That's the real reason why we fought, you know."  
  
Shinji felt a tad shocked. "You called her a...doll?"  
  
"Well, who wouldn't, with the way she acts so damned emotionless and blindly obedient?" Asuka pondered.  
  
The Third Child gave her a bit of a skeptical look as she looked back to him while at his doorway, which offended her a bit. "Well, I know you wouldn't, idiot! She's different around you."  
  
"Yeah, I know...it feels....nice..."  
  
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I don't need to hear about that, Shinji. Now go to bed and save your strength. You're gonna need it."   
  
With that, she shut the door to his room and promptly entered her own, nearly falling asleep the instant she hit the floor. 'At least he wasn't being a pervert...'  
  
As for Shinji, he slowly slid back down and slipped on the earphones of his SDAT before covering himself with his bed sheet and activating the music device, seeing as how his mind was too scrambled at the moment from trying to think about everything that had occurred in this day, preferring instead to drown it out to the sound of the music.  
  
  
Not that it stopped him from having the erotic dreams.....for now.  
  
  
  
-------End of Chapter Three  
  
  
  
  
Post-Chapter Author's Notes: Right off the bat here, I'll apologize for taking three weeks or so to get this story created and posted, instead of my average two. No real excuse, it just took me longer than I thought. Besides, you try to create a civil, meaningful conversation between Shinji and Asuka and keep a straight face, as well as keeping in line with the characters. :-P  
  
  
  
Random thoughts commencing...  
  
  
-The line Asuka spoke in regard to catching footage that would basically disprove any attempt by Shinji to deny it was inspired by the hit PS2 game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The original quote, from Otacon to Snake, was as follows, during the Tanker chapter after Snake made it to the holds: "Now, do your thing and take pictures that speak louder than the government's plausible denials." With some modification, it's all fit for Asuka to use.  
  
  
-I don't know where in hell the note scene came from. I guess I just thought it would make sense to put that sort of thing into a story like this. It works with two people as reserved as Shinji and Rei, after all. :-D  
  
  
-Yes, I did make Rei more talkative than before. She's evolving, what can I say? :-) However, I do enjoy writing dialogue with her involving a little quirk I hadn't picked up on until later on in the series, that, like Data (of Star Trek: TNG fame), she tends not to use contractions.   
  
-Additionally, I know I put a lot of moments of silence in this story. Hell, I might be overdoing it. However, it was often used in the series as well, and it served to send messages, as well as teach viewers to be patient. Oh, and by the way, now that I have The End, I know how it all turned out, though I'm still trying to make heads and tails of it. Though it has inspired me for possible later stories.   
  
  
  
  
And as for next time...  
  
  
-Will Asuka seize her opportunity in the spotlight as temporary swim instructor to Shinji?  
-Are either girl's injuries possibly more severe than either of them revealed?  
  
-And, finally, will any NERV staff other than Misato and the pilots get a part in this story?   
  
  
Only time will tell in the next chapter: My Turn, Wondergirl! 


	4. My Turn, Wondergirl!

EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON  
Chapter Four: My Turn, Wondergirl!  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.  
Pre-Chapter Author's Notes: Well, now that I've gotten over that enormous hurdle that I call Chapter Three, perhaps things will go a bit more smoothly. Also, I appreciate all the positive feedback I've been receiving thus far. Collecting the entire series on DVD seems to have helped me at least in this endeavor, as I personally prefer to have a good amount of background information before writing fics that base themselves off of previously established things, since then you know what you can mess around with during the writing process. Besides, the series and its two-part finale rocked anyway! And as for anyone who is upset that I didn't write out the fight between Rei and Asuka, don't worry. I'll get around to -action- writing later. ;-)  
Now, last time we left our happy-go-lucky Shinji, he had found out that Asuka was to teach him in Rei's place on Monday. Let the story commence, says I.....  
  
Just a reminder...  
  
"Spoken Dialogue"  
  
'Character Thought'  
  
Written Material  
-------  
Slumber. Rest. A still calm.  
  
Sleep is often meant to be a time of peace, as well as a time of reflection and contemplation of one's thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, all melted into one, with meaning often hard to find, and remembering such mixings of subconscious energies all the more difficult.  
  
Such was not the case for the Third Child as the shrill sound of a whistle caused his body to spasm a bit before waking up in a panic, eyes widened in shock and throat uttering a cry as he fell out of his bed and landed on the hard floor.  
  
"Gyah!" Shinji yelped as he picked himself up off of the rough carpeting and untangled his feet from the bed sheet. This, of course, was before turning around and seeing Asuka right up in his face, a whistle on a string around her neck. "What the hell..?"  
  
"Rise and shine, Third Child!" Asuka exclaimed, fully dressed in her school clothes and a determined look upon her face. "It's Monday morning, and do you know what that means?"  
  
Blinking his eyes a few times to orient himself, Shinji shook his head while staring blankly.  
  
"Ugh! Moron, did you forget that I get to teach you today!?!" Asuka yelled at the dazed boy. "And in this girl's school of hard knocks, I don't go easy on anybody! Now, get your ass dressed and moving!" she finished, pointing to the dressers.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but worry as he began to put on his uniform. 'Maybe this isn't going to work...it hasn't even been 3 minutes and already she's scolding me...' He then threw a quick look at the Second Child. "Do you mind?"  
  
Asuka's only response was to give him a disgusted sneer and rush out of the room, almost forgetting to shut the door behind her.  
  
Ikari sighed. Today was going to be a long day. A really long day.  
-------  
Meanwhile, Misato was seated in a chair at the kitchen, having herself one final beer before going to bed. After dropping off the two pilots at home the previous night, she had been called in to do some explaining to Commander Ikari about the physical engagement that had occurred between Asuka and Rei. Needless to say, it had been tiring as well as lengthy, and she was feeling thrilled to have this last drink before regaining her strength.  
  
Unfortunately for the Major, her senses were assaulted after Asuka moved into the kitchen to eat breakfast, ranting like an asylum inmate while her mouth was full.  
  
"Stupid dork Shinji! I can't believe I'm teaching that idiot today instead of Wondergirl! I feel like a fucking substitute. Then again, I did kinda make this deal with her, didn't I? Oooh, she gets on my damn nerves. Sheist! Is he ever going to get out here? I'm gonna nail him a good one when he does, and-"  
  
"Asuka..." Misato finally managed to say.  
  
The Second Child stopped her constant flow of sentences and faced the guardian. "Wha?" Only then did she notice the lavender-haired female's exhausted look.   
  
"I'm...tired. Please...keep it down..." With that, Misato stood and proceeded to slowly stumble her way to her room, collapsing immediately upon her mat, after which began some gentle snoring.  
  
Asuka sighed, having observed all this. "Drunk and tired! She isn't exactly the world's greatest example to live up to...." Then her mind refocused on her agenda for today. "Hey, Shinji, get a move on!" she yelled.  
  
Quickly did the Third Child arrive into the kitchen, struggling to put on his shirt and yawning in the process. "I'm coming, jeez...."  
  
After tucking his shirt in, Shinji proceed to prepare his breakfast while Asuka snatched up the phone and dialed hurriedly.  
  
"Hello?" Hikari's voice answered over the phone.  
  
"Hey, Hikari!" Asuka called to the rep. "I'm gonna be leaving earlier than usual, so I was wondering, did you want to walk to school together?" The redhead then removed her ear and mouth from the phone momentarily to yell at Shinji, "Hey, don't forget to make our lunches, idiot!"  
  
Hikari couldn't help but laugh a little, knowing that that beyond their respective reputations, they were well-known for arguing a lot, despite Shinji's obvious reluctance for being a part of such conflicts. "Alright. I'll leave in a few."  
  
"See you soon!" Asuka said in a cheery voice, then hung up. Immediately did the venom return to her voice as her attention came back to the young Ikari, who was calmly preparing their lunches for the day.  
  
"Hurry up, dork, and get my lunch ready!" she yelled to Shinji as her feet struggled to slip into her shoes.  
  
"Ok, ok!" Ikari called back, whipping together the Second Child's lunch at the expense of his own, for the moment. He then quickly moved out to hand off the lunch to the impatient girl.  
  
"About time!" Asuka stated, twirling on a foot to head for the door as soon as her food was received. Before leaving, though, she stopped at the door. "I'm taking off early to walk with Hikari. Don't be far behind."  
  
"Of course," Shinji replied. He wasn't insane enough to skip school when in a sane, rational state of mind.  
  
"Oh, and make sure you jog your ass to school, Third Child. If I'm going to teach you today, I want you to be in decent shape."  
  
"Umm, alright," Shinji replied, figuring that this request wasn't all that unusual, given Asuka's aggressive nature. But such thoughts took a backseat in his mind as he redoubled his efforts to get his own meal ready before the arrival of the other two Stooges.   
  
Fortunately, the well-experienced hands of Shinji were hasty, but masterful in completing his lunch and tucking it away into his pack. Unfortunately, it was only his body at work, as his mind had drifted off, in thinking about Rei, hoping she would be alright after the day had finished.  
-------  
In a place far from the eyes and ears of the NERV pilots and personnel, an exchange of words was taking place within the dead silence of Commander Ikari's dark office, as both Gendo and Fuyutsuki sat as his table, with the former with his elbows propped up and his hands interlocked in their usual position, while the elder man held a cup of coffee in one resting hand and read from a newspaper in the other.  
  
"So, the First and Second Children engaged in a fight, huh?" Fuyutsuki asked, only having been slightly informed of this matter through Ritsuko on his way to this meeting.  
  
"Yes," the Commander replied. "Fortunately, the potential for damage was minimized by our security agents noticing this and subsequently separating the two."  
  
"Potential?" Fuyutsuki inquired. "You mean there was actual damage."  
  
"Correct," Gendo said in response. "The Second Child sustained negligible wounds."  
  
The former Professor wasn't all that surprised, given some understanding enough about the German girl's toughness. "And as for Ayanami?"  
  
"The First Child's injuries required medical attention, though they are not severe. She will be released today," Commander Ikari answered.  
  
'-Released- indeed, after she checks back in,' he though to himself after the fact.  
  
"So, what was this incident about?" Kouzou questioned before sipping on his coffee.  
  
"Personal differences. It is irrelevant, unless this occurs again."  
  
"Will it?"  
  
"No. Major Katsuragi is dealing with the situation. She is suitable enough to deal with such insignificant matters."  
  
"They aren't that way to her."  
  
"True. But to our plans is this of no concern."  
  
Fuyutsuki breathed a sigh, took another sip of his coffee and set the cup down upon the table. "Indeed."  
-------  
At the very same time Ikari and Fuyutsuki's meeting was taking place, Rei was alone, regenerating far below in the safety of an orange tube filled with LCL. Silence was dominant in the lonely chamber as the First Child's thoughts once again began to wander.  
  
'The regenerative process. A method to eliminate my wounds. Wounds sustained in a fight outside of Unit 00. A type of fight I am unfamiliar with in participating.'  
  
'Why did Pilot Sohryu and I fight? Many reasons exist for this....'  
  
'Was it because that we both feel a connection to Shinji? This is possible.'  
  
'Would it be from an unintentional rivalry as pilots? Perhaps it indeed stems from her desire to be superior to Ikari and myself.'  
  
'Does she hate me? I do not believe to have given her a reason for this.'  
  
'Is she jealous? Jealous at what? I am treated no different than her.'  
  
'Being called a doll? Yes, this is a factor, for I do not see myself as one, though she seems to think so, based on how I talk and act.'  
  
'I am to return to the hospital once my injuries are gone. Will I see Shinji there? I am certain he will show, and I would hope as such. Shinji always seems...happy...to see me. Why is this?'  
  
'Is it gratitude, for my choice to instruct him in something he was afraid of?'  
  
'Is it a bond that stems from out relationship as pilots and classmates...'  
  
'....or is it something more?'  
  
'What is it that I feel for him? Friendship?'  
  
'Affection..?'  
  
'Perhaps....could it be....'  
  
Suddenly, a low-pitched beep sounded, disrupting the First Child's thoughts and alerting her to the fact that her body was completely healed. Slowly did the LCL drain from the tube before the glass was raised, allowing the blue-haired girl to step out and stand still for a few minutes as the excess fluid dripped off of her bare body.  
  
As Rei dressed into her clothes and prepared to inform Commander Ikari that she was ready to check back in to her hospital room, she made a mental note to find a quieter place next time she let her thoughts go adrift.  
-------  
Not long after Asuka's departure did Toji and Kensuke arrive in predictable fashion, though, of course, they were disappointed to only be greeted by Shinji and not the now loudly snoring Misato. And, true to the Second Child's request, Shinji jogged during the trip to school, and although this bothered the other two boys a bit, they nevertheless kept even pace with him.  
  
"Jeez, this feels like early gym class!" Kensuke called, a step or two behind the jock and the pilot, slightly out of breath. "But adding in baggage, and subtracting the girls to look at."  
  
"It isn't that bad," replied Toji, easily keeping up with the Third Child without breaking a sweat. "But...exactly why are you doing this, anyway?"  
  
"Rei won't be at school today," Shinji replied while keeping an even breathing rhythm, "so Asuka's taking over for her."   
  
This produced an outburst of laughter from Toji and Kensuke, which caused them to stop in their tracks. "That's a good one, Shinji!" Ida said, his stance a bit hunched over with his hands on his knees to maintain some balance. Personally, the voyeur was grateful he had his camera tucked away this time, to prevent dropping it and causing some major damage.  
  
However, as the two Stooges looked at the young Ikari, they quickly noticed that he didn't look like he was bluffing. Suzuhara decided to tread on this thin ice by asking, "You're serious, aren't you?"   
  
The Third Child nodded.  
  
"But...why her?" was Toji's response. "And while we're at it, exactly where is Ayanami?"  
  
"Rei's in the hospital," Shinji answered. "She and Asuka...had a fight..."  
  
"Ooh, a fight?" his two friends asked in perfect unison. "What kind of fight? A pillow fight with some hot, steamy lesbian action? That'd be just perfect for you, Shinji, wouldn't it?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. "More like the first time we -met-, Toji."  
  
The jock couldn't help but wince a little from that comment. He could never forget about that incident, especially now that he felt a bit worse about it, namely due to Shinji's reluctance to fight back.   
  
"...only worse," the young Ikari finished.  
  
"How worse?" Kensuke inquired.  
  
"Well, Asuka was fine. The worst she received was a black eye," Shinji began.  
  
"Hah!" Toji exclaimed, feeling a slight amount of satisfaction that she had finally been repaid, if only a little, for all the torment she had given the three of them in the past. "She probably deserved it."  
  
Shinji paid the remark no heed and continued. "But Rei's injuries were worse, including bruised ribs. She's been in the hospital recuperating all weekend, and I plan on meeting up with her once she's been released later today."  
  
"Assuming you get through today's lesson first," Kensuke pointed out. "And it doesn't take a genius to see that Asuka's going to make it rough on you."  
  
Shinji sighed. It never was easy trying to convince these two that Asuka wasn't necessarily all that bad. Misunderstood, perhaps, but definitely with a good heart beneath that fiery exterior. "Maybe, but this in the interest of teaching me. I don't think she'll try anything."  
  
"Well, alright, Shinji," Toji stated, "go ahead and have your lesson with Asuka. If she's too much to handle, let us know, and we'll see what we can do to help, alright?"  
  
That comment caused the Third Child to crack a bit of a smile. "Thanks, guys," he said as he suddenly remembered their situation and started jogging for the school again. "Come on, or we'll be late!" Shinji called out.  
  
Having caught their breath, Toji and Kensuke were able to keep pace again, though they remained a few steps behind.  
  
"You have to admit, Toji, at least that girl's got the right idea about helping him, as hostile as she is," Kensuke pointed out.  
  
"I hope you're right, Kensuke. I seriously hope you're right. Otherwise, who knows what's in store for him?"  
-------  
Time passed on in the school's usual fashion, that being dull classes and a sensei who could talk an asylum inmate asleep with boring lectures, though the class rep paid perfect attention to every word, trying to be an example for the other students. Unfortunately, it wasn't working very well, as most of the students were engaged in gossip.   
  
Shinji, true to his recent behavior, had his gaze over at Rei's desk, despite the obvious fact that she wasn't here today. Toji was sound asleep at his desk, while Kensuke was quite busy checking his video discs. As for Asuka, she maintained some kind of odd balance between paying attention, occasional messaging to Hikari via the laptop, and keeping a wary eye on the Third Child.  
  
Thankfully, the class didn't last forever, and soon enough, the bell rang for the lunch break.  
  
"Yahoo! Lunch time, munch time!" Toji yelled out as he immediately dove into his oversized lunch, gobbling like a starving homeless person receiving their first real meal in weeks. This action didn't really surprise anyone, given the jock's reputation for a huge appetite.  
  
"So, does Asuka have you completely on a leash, Shinji," Kensuke inquired as he laid back in his seat and opened up his plastic lunch sack, "or can you actually eat with us for once?"  
  
Shinji laughed a bit at that, though he had to admit, he had been spending more time with Rei than them lately. "Sure thing, guys. I'll stay here for lunch today."  
  
"Well, who can blame you?" Toji noted while stuffing his mouth. "Better than the redheaded devil, isn't it?"  
  
"She isn't that bad, you know," Ikari replied while organizing his lunch upon the desk top. "I mean, she's got her good points at times."  
  
"Good points?" Kensuke questioned as he drank his juice. "Her? No way."  
  
"Well, actually," Toji thought aloud, "you have to be able to get along with her in some capacity, right? You live with her, so it's got to happen."  
  
"Yeah, it does," Shinji said. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "I mean, if it hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to temporarily live in sync."  
  
Afterwards came a fit of laughter from all three boys, knowing how weird it had been for the shy Third Child and the extrovert Second Child to move, work, and talk as thought they were one, if nothing else, to produce efficient results in defeating the Seventh Angel, as per Kaji Ryoji's proposed plan back then. And though the two pilots had reservations about the whole thing, they nevertheless tried it out and were successful in their endeavor.  
  
"It's been a while since then, hasn't it?" Kensuke inquired once the outbreak had died down.  
  
"Yeah," was Shinji's reply.  
  
The Stooges ate in complete silence for the rest of the lunch break afterward.  
-------  
At the same time that Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke were munching on their food, Hikari and Asuka had taken to eating on the roof. Though the class rep initially had an objection to the idea, but was quickly reassured by the Second Child that Rei wouldn't be around, which she more or less knew to be a fact.  
  
However, as opposed to Shinji's times up here, when he would lean over the rail in talking with Kensuke or sit against it when eating with the First Child, Hikari and Asuka took a different approach, simply laying back on the roof and taking in the sun, almost as if they were out on the beach, taking bites of their food every now and then, with the occasional complaint by Asuka about how Ikari had messed up preparing her meal in one form or another.  
  
Hikari couldn't help but giggle after the Second Child's seventeenth complaint in the past ten minutes.  
  
"Hey, what's so funny?" Asuka asked with a snarl on her face, feeling a bit upset at being laughed at.  
  
"Oh, nothing," the rep answered, "just counting how many times you talk about Shinji."  
  
"Well, I have to live with the dork, don't I?" the redhead countered.   
  
"Yeah, but you really shouldn't put him down so much," Hikari pointed out. Asuka couldn't help but smirk at that, knowing quite well about how she constantly noted Shinji's faults and took pride it, as well as her self-proclaimed outstanding piloting skill.   
  
"It's not like the idiot can't take it." Asuka stated as she sat up to stretch her back. "Besides, he'll need it if he's going to learn anything today."  
  
That prompted the class rep to look at her friend in a confused manner. "What do you mean?"  
  
Sohryu grinned. "Since Wondergirl isn't around, for today, I get to play teacher with Shinji's sorry ass at the pool."  
  
The almond-haired girl looked shocked, but she did her best to remain calm, not wanting to give away what she knew. "I didn't realize Shinji was being tutored."  
  
"Neither did I, until I took a guess and did some investigating on the matter," Asuka proclaimed with a proud look. "And I got proof of the dork and the First Child getting rather close in the process."  
  
Hikari blushed a bit as the impact of the redheaded girl's statement hit her. "Shinji and Rei are..."  
  
"Hah!" Sohryu exclaimed. "Not if I have anything to say about it."  
  
"You...don't like them being together?" Horaki inquired. "I don't understand."  
  
"Exactly what's not to understand, Hikari?"  
  
"Well, is it because you don't like Rei....or that you do like Shinji?"  
  
Asuka's face showed a bit of despair as she looked down at the floor of the roof. "Even if that were in some improbable way true, it's not like he ever notices. He's too dense to see anything unless it's right in front of his face! Ugh! And he asks the stupidest questions, too."  
  
"He doesn't seem like the type to."  
  
"Fine, if you don't believe me, I'll give you an example, though I'm not supposed to say anything about this sort of thing, since it's -classified-."  
  
Hikari nodded and sat up, keeping her eyes fixated on Asuka as the German girl continued.  
  
"This little story happens during one a period of time before we engage in an Angel battle. That's what the creatures that we fight are called. Anyway, we're crawling through some ducts, because the power at NERV HQ is out and Shinji has the lack of brains to ask why we fight something called Angels, since they're supposed to be messengers of God and all. So, I answer back that it's just plain idiotic to not fight back when you're being attacked. Sometimes I just don't understand how he can be the Commander's son...." Having finished, Asuka sighed and took a drink of her soda.  
  
"Asuka, you live with Shinji, right?"  
  
"Of course! Though I wonder why Misato hasn't thrown him out yet."  
  
"So...you probably would know him better than me...but..."  
  
The Second Child gave her friend an odd look. "But what?"  
  
"To my knowledge, Shinji...well..."  
  
"What is it, Hikari? Spill!"  
  
"Well, something happened a short while before you arrived here to. An incident involving Shinji. You know the two Stooges he hangs out with?"  
  
"Yeah, what about those losers?"  
  
"Well, they weren't always friends with Shinji. In fact, Toji hated his guts. Worse than you."  
  
"Wow!" Asuka responded in surprise. "Didn't think a jock like that would give a damn about him."  
  
"In any case, once Shinji admitted to being the pilot of that Eva robot not long after this city's first conflict, Suzuhara beat him up after school that day. You see, in the city's first battle involving, his little sister was injured, and he felt that it was necessary to take out that anger on the poor boy."  
  
The Second Child's eyes were wide, both liking and despising this story, but wanting to hear more. "And how did it go? Who won?"  
  
"Well....erm....technically, Toji won. It was a one-sided fight, because Shinji didn't hit back."  
  
"Did he even defend himself?"  
  
"No. I'm not sure, but I think that Shinji felt he deserved it. Plus, he always seems so passive. It doesn't seem like fighting is in his nature."  
  
'Tell me about it,' Asuka thought, 'but you'd never know from his piloting.'  
Hikari, uninterrupted, kept telling the tale. "And then, from what Suzuhara's friend Kensuke told me once, apparently during another fight before your arrival, the two of them were outside when they were nearly killed due to being outside of the shelter. I thought they were up to something that day."  
  
"How do you know all this?"  
  
Hikari giggled. "Kensuke is quite the chatterbox, no matter who's listening."  
  
"Can't say I'm surprised. So, what happened?"  
  
"I don't know. He didn't say much about what happened after that point. All he would tell me was that they somehow got involved in Shinji's battle, and only then did Suzuhara see how emotionally unstable he had become, and they both figured it had to be from the fistfight. They believed it so adamantly that Toji once actually asked to be punched back, just to give him peace of mind. From what I hear, Shinji gave him, in his own words, a hell of a shot." Hikari nearly had difficulty saying the last part, as she didn't prefer to engage in speaking profanity.  
  
By now, Asuka's look was somewhat grim. "So the idiot's a wimp and a pacifist...."  
  
"I don't necessarily think it's like that. The way he behaves, it's almost as though he doesn't ever enjoy conflict. And yet, he has no choice when it comes to you, because you do that with him every day."  
  
"That's really deep, Hikari..." Asuka began, but she suddenly has a thought and looked at her watch. "Sheist! We have to get back to class before we're late!"  
  
The brown-haired rep nodded in complete agreement as the two girls gathered their things and hurried back to the classroom, each girl in a vast ocean of their own thoughts.  
-------  
A few hours passed, and the bell signaled for school being over. Hikari, in her usual fashion, rose and gave the "stand, bow, dismissed" commands to the students before rushing off for home following a hasty goodbye to Asuka.  
  
"Alright!" Toji yelled with joy. "School day's over!"  
  
"Damn right it is," Kensuke said in agreement. "You want to stop by my place and play video games for a while?"  
  
"You bet!" the jock answered with a grin, before noticing Shinji's odd expression aimed at both of them. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, n-nothing," the young Ikari replied, scratching his head in embarrassed confusion. "I just didn't know you were into that sort of thing, that's all."  
  
"Well, I'd invite you to join us, but you have other things you have to do, don't you?" Kensuke noted.  
  
"Yeah, I do," Shinji stated, "so I'll see you guys later."  
  
"Later, Ikari!" the two boys called in unison as they were almost out the classroom door. "And good luck with Asuka. You'll need it!" After that, they shared a bit of a snickering and hurried off for Kensuke's place.  
  
The Third Child sighed. He really was wondering if having Asuka do this instead of Rei was any sort of a good idea. His resolve didn't fail him, though, as he headed for the pool area, wondering exactly what kind of instructor this girl was. After all, knowing that the First Child was a calm, patient teacher, and it was safe to assume that the Second Child would more or less be on the opposite side of that coin, given her short fuse and swelled sense of pride.  
  
He decided to try and put the debate out of his head for the moment, especially since he knew that the German girl had the potential to let down her guard. Maybe she would be this was as an instructor, maybe not. Shinji decided not to jump to any conclusions until he observed her methods.   
  
Fortunately, the trip took little time now that Shinji had traveled to the swim area a few times. However, after several tense-filled moments in the locker room during the Third Child's changing and subsequent walk out to the pool where he set out his towel to dry off on later, he quickly noticed that Asuka wasn't there.  
  
'This is unusual,' he thought while setting his pack on a nearby table. 'But, then again, this is Asuka we're talking about, not Rei.'   
  
And yet, as the young Ikari sat on his towel and waited, more time passed. How much, he didn't know. The fact remained, though, that Rei's substitute still hadn't made her appearance to aid the boy, and this was making him worry a bit. But that worry quickly passed as Shinji laid back upon his towel and closed his eyes, deciding to take a small rest and lose himself in the recesses of his mind while patiently awaiting the Second Child's arrival.   
  
'Perhaps she forgot? That doesn't seem like Asuka. She probably has a reason, though she might blame me for it. And even if she gets here, will it be worth it, to endure more of her for the purpose of learning to swim?'  
  
'Rei Ayanami....I plan on seeing her after my lesson today. I hope she's recovered. But am I eager to meet her, or possibly frightened? I don't know. I'm not sure I understand how I feel about this situation...about her. Do I feel some sort of....closeness to her? Attachment? Affection?'  
  
'Why do both girls puzzle me? In some ways, I feel close to each of them, and yet, I feel distant from them in different aspects as well. Rei is often in her own world, but seems to act in certain ways around me that she would never be like around anyone else. Her smiles always bring me joy. On the other hand, Asuka keeps everyone beyond arm's length with her boasting, hostile remarks, and accusations of me being a pervert. However, she also has her times when she's civil and even...perhaps...nice. I did feel grateful about the compliment she gave me about my ability with the cello.'  
  
'Still no Angel attacks as of late. I suppose I should be grateful for this period of peace, though I keep worrying that it will be over soon, because of the never-ending barrage of harmonics and synch tests we endure for when the next one appears.'  
  
'I hope Misato isn't worried about me. She's always so nice to me as my guardian, but as my superior, it's as if she's a completely different person altogether. If I didn't know her as well as I do, I'd never believe her to be a drinker, with the way she always seems so determined and unshakable during Angel fights.'  
  
'Father....how would he, of all people, think about how I feel about Rei? Would he approve, or keep her away from me? Does he even know, or care? I can't be sure. He does seemingly talk with her more than he has with me, but how much does he know about her as opposed to what I know?'  
  
'Toji, Kensuke...you two seem to be all for this when Rei teaches me, but tease me about it with Asuka substituting. Why is that? Do you want to know about them, but are afraid to approach? Or are you hoping that things really do turn out well for me? This is all so confusing...'  
  
'I feel so lost...what should I do-'  
  
A sensation of rather cold water overwhelmed the boy's senses and shocked him out of his nap, causing him to yelp, sit up in fright, and look upward into Asuka's smirking face, causing a realization that she had no doubt awakened him.  
  
"Enjoy you nap, Shinji?" the Second Child asked in a sarcastic tone.  
  
Shinji did little more than shiver while rising to his feet. As he looked the redhead over, he saw that she was once again wearing her two-piece red and white-striped swimsuit.   
  
"I'm sorry..." he began, but Asuka immediately clamped her hand over his mouth, glaring at him.  
  
"Don't be starting in on that shit today, Third Child. My being late had nothing to do with you, got it?"  
  
Shinji nodded, partially frozen in fear as well as in shock. The girl, satisfied with his response, removed her hand from his mouth, though feeling a bit irritated by the air being exhaled out of his nose, like she had once noticed before when they shared a rather odd kind of kiss, which had involved the fiery redhead holding the young Ikari's nose shut, forcing him to hold his breath during the lip lock.   
  
'Not that that had been fun anyway', Sohryu recalled, remembering how she whined right after that kiss never to do it again simply for the purpose of killing time. No longer did she want to be bored to the point of kissing the wimpy Shinji Ikari.  
  
"So.." the Third Child pondered, "...just why are you late?" Knowing she'd probably get angry with him, he then added, "I-If it's okay to ask, of course.."  
  
"Hmph! Well, if you absolutely must know, idiot, I forgot my swimsuit. Those stupid generic ones they have for school don't do my fabulous self justice!" With that, Asuka struck a bit of a pose, both looking and feeling proud to be able to show herself off in some fashion. Then she couldn't help but laugh a bit, realizing that Shinji was wearing that very brand she had just talked about.  
  
Shinji, meanwhile, thought that Asuka's boasting, combined with her posing, made her look a bit humorous. Not that he dared laugh, preferring to have his current instructor in as much of a light-hearted mood as possible.  
  
'Maybe this won't be as horrible as I keep thinking it would,' the Third Child mused.  
-------  
Far from the roommate pilots, a pair of grown women were sitting at a table deep inside NERV HQ, a pair of coffee cups being the only similar thing between them, despite their somewhat lengthy friendship. While one just patiently sipped on her drink and occasionally ran a finger or two through her violet hair, the other looked purely methodical and determined while reading a report in front of her, oblivious to everything else around her.  
  
No response was made by either female for several minutes. That is, until Misato laughed a little.  
  
Ritsuko couldn't help but stop for a moment and look up at her friend. "And just what do you find so funny, hmm?" she asked, her voice possessing a light tone of humor.  
"Oh, nothing," Misato responded, looking the blondie in the eye as she smirked, "just the way you sit still for so long without a word."  
  
"Something on your mind, I assume?" Dr. Akagi inquired.  
  
The Major sat back, propping her feet up on the table and sighing. "Actually, no. the city's been quiet lately. Sometimes too quiet."  
  
"Are you complaining, Misato?"  
  
"No, not at all. I guess I'm just bored. At least the children don't feel that way."  
  
"Really? What is Shinji up to nowadays? I haven't exactly been able to converse with him that much lately, at least not a personal kind of level."  
  
Misato giggled, knowing full well what Shinji was doing, and also believing how embarrassed he might be to discuss it. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"Try me," the blonde-haired scientist challenged. "After all, how many people in this city would believe at least half of all the classified information we possess?"  
  
That brought a grin to the Major's face. "You're right about that."  
  
"So, what's going on with Shinji, then?"  
  
"Well, he's learning how to swim."  
  
Ritsuko frowned. "Odd. I thought he would have that ability at his age."  
  
"Well, apparently, he never knew, and now the girls are instructing him."  
  
"Asuka and Rei?" Dr. Akagi wondered, while thinking, 'Asuka I don't care about, but Rei teaching Shinji? Now she has the attention of both the Commander and his only son, the little bitch!'  
  
"Exactly. Well, Asuka's teaching him today, anyway. It was originally Rei's idea, but Asuka sort of...persuaded...Rei to allow her to aid in the endeavor as well."  
"I see. And how long has this been all happening?"  
  
"Well, it only started last week, so Shinji's probably still trying to get the hang of the water."  
  
"Indeed. Attempting submersion in water like one does with LCL would prove to be quite uncomfortable and fatal."  
  
"Yeah. But at least he seems better now." After that statement, Misato took another sip in what had seemed to be a long few minutes.  
  
"That could certainly life some spirits around here," Risuko said, looking at her watch and getting to her feet afterward. "Well, I have to get back. Maya needs a little more training in speed typing, and she only looks to me for help."  
  
Misato nodded. "Well, she is the best around here, save for you. See you later."  
"Oh, by the way," the Doctor added, "I'm scheduling a synch test in a week, so pleas be sure to inform the pilots for me, would you?"  
  
The Major finished drinking her coffee and set her cup down. "Sure thing, Ritsuko." But now being alone, she decided to move her ass out of the chair and get some work done, seeing as how she had only been on a small break. Just because the attacks had temporarily ceased didn't mean everyone could sit back and be lazy, after all.  
-------  
"Push, idiot! Push!!!"  
  
Such were the screams of Asuka. At the same time, Shinji felt sweat gathering upon his forehead as well as a lingering burn within his muscles as his arms forced themselves into doing the often simple, yet thoroughly tiring exercise known as push-ups.  
  
This had been going on for about an hour now. First, there had been the stretching of his arms, legs, chest, and back, to avoid potential damage later on. Second was a lengthy period of jumping jacks. In both of those situations had the German girl participated with him, so her motivational words had been more encouraging, seeing as how she didn't necessarily have the energy to both work out and yell at him simultaneously.   
  
After that, though, her methods had become similar to that of a military drill instructor, namely the yelling and staying in his face as the boy engaged in a long series of sit-ups and now push-ups. There wasn't exactly any decent equipment around for a full training routine, but even Asuka knew that it wasn't the Third Child's goal. Not that it stopped her from getting tough with the boy every chance she got.  
  
As for Shinji, though he was sweating from the workout, moaning once in a while from pain, and having an extreme urge to collapse from fatigue and rest, not once did he utter a single word of complaint. Asuka would normally be impressed by such a quality from anyone else. But this was Shinji, so she simply chalked it up to his usual reaction of mindlessly following whatever he was told to do. To the Second Child, it was both admirable and disgusting at the same time.  
  
All of a sudden, a shrill ringing noise interrupted both pilot's concentration, causing Asuka's eyes to widen in both shock and embarrassment while Shinji's hands slipped, causing him to collapse onto the tile floor.  
  
"Sheist!" the redhead cursed while scrambling to her feet and marching off to the source of the noise. Moving swiftly with just a slight amount of caution, Asuka reached her backpack in little time and snatched up the source of the noise, that being her cell phone. Though thankful that Misato had bought one for her like she had with Shinji, at times it could be an inconvenience, like now.  
  
"Hallo?" Asuka called.  
  
"Asuka, it's me." It was Hikari's voice.   
  
"Hold on a sec, could you?" the German female replied. Immediately, she called to Shinji, "Hey, Third Child, take a quick break while I'm on the phone!" Then, she devoted her attention back to her friend. "Ok, I'm back."  
  
"Is it going well?" Hikari asked. "The lesson, I mean."  
  
"Huh? Well, not as great as I thought," Asuka answered. Her next response involved her tone becoming a bit grim. "I was rather late."  
  
"How did that happen?"  
  
"Forgot my swimsuit. And I don't know about you, but I don't feel like tolerating those bland school suits."  
  
Hikari giggled. Asuka was always full of flair like that. "And is Shinji doing well?"  
  
"Hey, who made you my interrogator!?!"  
  
"N-no one. It's just..."  
  
"Just what?"  
  
"...it's just that there's no one to keep an eye out for you. You know, in case something happens."  
  
Asuka grinned, knowing that wasn't exactly true. "Don't worry, Shinji and I can take care of ourselves."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Hey, listen, I have to get going. Don't want him sitting on his ass forever, after all. Can I call you back later?"  
  
"Sure! That would be great!"  
  
"Alright, talk to you later then."  
  
"You, too. Bye!" With that, Asuka hit a button on the phone to disconnect the line, then turned her attention back to the Third Child, who had sat up and was breathing in a steady rhythm now, having attained sufficient resting time.  
  
"Up and off your back, Shinji!" she yelled , pointing a finger to the still waters. "Hit the waves while I go get a drink."  
  
"Alright..." the young Ikari said between deep breaths before slowly getting to his feet and entering the pool, doing his best not to shiver too much from the lower temperature of the liquid.  
  
As Asuka headed off into the locker room, muttering to herself all the while, Shinji felt an odd form of freedom as he laid back and floated along the top of the water, from the tips of his toes all the way up to the hair now being drenched in the chlorinated water.   
  
'Blue...the color of water,' he noted as he drifted within the pool. 'It reminds me of Rei. I can't wait to see her at the hospital today. And yet, another part of me doesn't want this to end, for some reason. Asuka's method are exhausting, but maybe it'll be worth it. I just hope I don't screw this up.'  
  
Thankfully for the boy, only a few minutes passed this time before his teacher came back, slipping in silently and splashing him in the face to get his attention.   
  
This, naturally, caused Shinji to freak out, making him flail a bit before he saw the redhead giggling like mad, with water dripping all over his face. With an exasperated look on his face, Shinji then asked, "Wh-what was that for?"  
  
"You looked like you were slacking off, that's why!"  
  
"Asuka, how can I be...slacking? I don't exactly know how to do this yet."  
  
"Well, duh, Third Child. Wondergirl didn't exactly show you how to move around in here yet. That's where I come in."  
  
"Where you come in..?"  
  
"Exactly? But I can't really tell you how you do it. So, I'll do it, and I want you to watch me for a while and then try to follow me lead, okay?" Surprisingly, the Second Child's tone wasn't hostile at all.  
  
Ikari nodded, feeling a bit more confident about the whole thing. "Okay...I'll try...."  
-------  
While most patients were usually excited in some way about being in a hospital, Rei found herself thoroughly bored in her room.   
  
'I do not understand,' she thought as her eyes found themselves once again affixed to the clock not far from her door. And just like the few times she had looked earlier, the clock's hands refused to lie in showing that it was several minutes past the hour in which Shinji was supposed to be done.  
  
'Why is he not here yet? Did something happen to him? To Pilot Sohryu? Both, perhaps? This worries me.'  
  
Just these thoughts alone gave her an odd feeling in her body, one she quickly associated as being negative. As if her feeling was correct, though it didn't feel as urgent as an Angel battle might, which allowed her to believe that, somehow, Shinji Ikari would still keep his promise. He obeyed and followed as much as she did, after all, so it seemed quite natural to the blue-haired girl that her student would make an appearance here to see her out.  
  
After looking at the clock a bit more, the First Child decided it was time to wait in a more visible area. She quickly dressed into her uniform and gathered her things, giving the room one last look as she prepared to wait in the hallway.  
  
'Shinji will be here. I am certain of it.'  
-------  
Back at the school, as could have been expected, Shinji wasn't exactly doing well in understanding the motions yet. Of course, Asuka pointed out each time he messed up, as per her antagonistic nature when dealing with him a good portion the time. Often, the case seemed to be Shinji's lack of understanding when to hold in his breath and when to intake another as his face dipped in and out of the water.  
  
"Can't you get it straight, stupid!?!"  
  
Having finished another try to get at least a fourth of the way across the pool without messing, Shinji couldn't help but choke on a little water as he responded, "I'm sorry..."  
  
"There you go yet again!" Asuka cried disgustedly as she took a seat at the edge of the pool and wrung her hair out with a towel. "Can't you kick that habit?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuka.."  
  
"I give up...." Sighing, Asuka looked at a clock far from the pool and decided that it had been enough for today. "Looks like time's up for you anyway, though, so I'm heading home."  
  
"It's been two hours already..?"  
  
The Second Child gave Shinji an odd look. "TWO hours? Try three, you moron! I was an hour late getting here, and Wondergirl told me she ran sessions with you for two."  
  
Ikari went wide-eyed. "Three hours? Oh, my God...." With that, he also lifted himself out and rushed to his changing area. "I can't believe it....I'm going to be late....I hope she's still there..."  
  
Watching the brown-haired boy hustle like that made Asuka laugh a bit, though it also caused her to scowl as soon as he was out of her sight. 'Perfect. He just has to go running off to his precious Wondergirl.....jerk.'  
  
Putting the depressing thoughts out of her mind for the moment, she also quickly dressed, wanting to return Hikari's call soon and let the rep know how it went. In Asuka's own unique way of telling this kind of story, that is.  
-------  
Hauling ass to an intended destination was one thing. But crossing a street without a white WALK light lit was just plain dumb, even to Shinji, who caught his breath while waiting at an intersection after a mad sprint for a block or two, followed by a slow walk to regain some stamina, after which came some light jogging, similar to what he had done earlier this morning.  
  
Soon enough, the light appeared, and he crossed the street, feeling a bit desperate as he resumed his jog, despite burning pain in the fibers of his muscles. The young Ikari was fatigued, and he knew it. And yet, he dared not give up on his promise to Rei. He simply couldn't, and wouldn't. Not when it came to her.  
  
Fortunately, his sprint, despite having winded him, did save him a few minutes, and eventually did he arrive at the hospital, out of breath as he passed the entry doors full of worry that the First Child had chosen to leave without him.  
  
As he moved inside, he felt his legs give way and his body fall to the floor.  
  
A force stopped him, however, as a pair of arms caught him and trembled in an effort to keep him up. Quickly, Shinji regained his feet and looked up to thank the person for the selfless good deed, only to see the crimson eyes that he had been hoping would be here, waiting for him.   
  
Those same eyes gazed upon his own for a few moments before Rei let go of the boy. Afterward, Shinji's hands went to his knees and he bent over a bit and took heavy, deep breaths, feeling completely burned out.  
  
Slowly, Rei knelt down and looked upward into his eyes again. "You are...tired."  
  
"Yeah.." Shinji coughed out while taking a seat on a nearby bench. "I'm...sorry....I was....late.."  
  
"What happened?" Rei automatically inquired. However, it quickly dawned on her that he needed to regain his breath first, so instead of waiting for an answer, she sat down on the bench next to him and observed his recovery, unaccustomed to ever having been in such a condition herself.  
  
After many minutes passed, Shinji sat up and blinked his eyes a few times in attempting to adjust to the light of the hallway. He then turned his head to Rei and smiled, feeling better just by being around her. "I....I'm fine. I'll be ok now."  
  
Ayanami nodded and stood up. "I am ready to go home now. Will you walk with me?"  
  
The Third Child also got himself upright, though still feeling exhausted. "Of course, Rei."  
  
This prompted the First Child to give him another small smile as they walked out the doors of the hospital, and on towards Rei's home.  
  
Despite initial friendliness when the two pilots had encountered each other, conversation took a backseat to recuperation during the trip, as Shinji mostly concentrated on trying not to complain or cry out in pain, out of simple obligation to escort Rei home. Hence, he offered no resistance when Rei gently grasped his hand in her own and held onto it for a good amount of time, and although he initially felt rather embarrassed at the idea, once they had walked for a long while, it actually made Ikari feel at ease.  
  
A little later, though, Shinji suddenly realized that Rei had asked him something earlier that he had failed to hear due to his fatigued state. "Umm, Rei..."  
  
"What is it?" she replied, facing him without losing stride in their walk.  
  
"Well," Shinji began, "I was just wondering...what did you ask me earlier?"  
  
"I asked what had happened to cause you to arrive when you did."  
  
"Oh!" Now he felt embarrassed and upset at himself. "Well...the lesson still went for two hours, like you would have done, but..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"...well, just like I was late in getting to you, Asuka was late when she met up with me. She forgot her suit."  
  
"I...see."  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, Rei....I didn't mean to be so late..." Shinji felt nearly ready to kick himself again for his tardiness.  
  
"There is no need to apologize. You came, as you said you would."  
  
"I..." Understanding that Rei was indeed correct in her statement, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you...for waiting for me."  
  
"No."  
  
Shinji turned his head to look at the First Child. "Huh?"  
  
"I thank you...for walking with me."  
  
"I...err....you're welcome," Shinji acknowledged, feeling his spirits lift just a bit again as he spotted her apartment building not far away from their current location.  
  
"I suppose I should go home now..." Ikari started.  
  
"You wish to separate?" Rei questioned.   
  
"I...well...I don't want to intrude..."  
  
"You have been within my quarters before without prior authorization."  
  
"That was....I...umm..."  
  
"You are welcome in my home, Shinji."  
  
"I am?"   
  
The red-eyed girl looked at him and smiled once more. "Yes."  
  
"I....I feel very honored, Rei," Shinji replied with sincerity. It gave Ayanami a bit of an emotional boost to receive such a polite comment from a boy like the Unit-01 pilot.  
  
Soon enough, the two children arrived at the aforementioned building, feeling anticipation as well as possible dread, knowing that they might have to part ways in a short amount of time.  
  
Thankfully, neither one let go of the other. At least, not until they made their way to the door of the First Child's designated apartment, where Rei gently released her hold on Shinji's hand.   
  
Nervously did the Third Child scratch his head. "I...I suppose I should be going now.."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"We-we're at your home, aren't we?"  
  
"Yes." With that, Rei opened the door to her apartment and moved inside. "Please, enter."  
  
Shinji felt a bit odd about this, as he had never received any sort of invitation in prior visits to her place, but nevertheless went along with it and stepped into the entrance, remembering enough manners to shut the door behind him and slip off his shoes before walking around on the floor.   
  
"Are you not tired from earlier?" Ayanami inquired while removing her socks, revealing bare feet that struck Shinji as cute, though he didn't know why.  
  
"Umm, well, yes..." That fact hadn't really left Shinji at all, as his body constantly reminded him of it through how heavy his lungs felt at the moment. But he had done his best to appear normal instead of fatigued, out of respect for Rei.  
  
"You may rest here, if you like."  
  
Shinji's eyes went wide from this remark. "Huh!?"  
  
"Your body needs to regain its energies," Rei stated in a logical tone while gesturing to her bed. "You may lay here for a while and do so."  
  
"I...I really don't want to intrude on your home, Rei..."  
  
"It is not an intrusion, Shinji." The look in the girl's crimson eyes showed concern. "You must rest, so that your body feels less pain later."  
  
"R-really?" Ikari wondered aloud while carefully approaching her as well as her bed, his cheeks turning red from remembering the first time he was here, and the incident that, to the best of his knowledge, he and Rei had kept between themselves.  
  
'Although...,' he internally admitted to himself, 'it was the first time I'd ever touched a girl...but it was an accident, I swear!'   
  
Though the Third Child's mind was panicking a bit, his body offered little resistance as he slowly laid down upon Rei's small bed. Feeling relief that he had finally accepted her offer, the First Child gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
"I will be cleaning myself. If you need me, just call. In the meanwhile, just rest," Rei told the exhausted Shinji before stepping away to go and make good on her intended action. "I will wake you later."  
  
Ayanami wasn't sure why, she just knew that the feeling of regenerating in a tube was highly different to that of a shower. Perhaps it was the fact that it was her home, or maybe the use of different chemicals. Either way, the shower, for some unnamed reason, felt more invigorating and pleasant.  
  
Meanwhile, as Shinji laid his head down upon Rei's pillow, he tried to think of a way to fall asleep quickly, so he wouldn't toss and turn and possibly mess up the First Child's bed. His body, however, had other ideas, as he ended up out faster than a light in a few seconds, completely still.  
-------  
Night often took time to fall upon a city , but when it did, it showed no mercy in reducing visibility on the streets, save for artificial sources such as lamp posts, traffic lights, and whatever buildings had their internal lights still on at the time.  
  
The idea gave Misato little comfort as she stepped out of an elevator and towards her apartment, one arm holding a 12-pack of beer. Truth be told, there had been little necessity for the drinks, her true desire being to avoid being caught in the middle of any conflicts with her two charges tonight, as she was feeling beat already, though she'd undoubtedly stay up for a few more hours to chug some of this alcohol, if nothing else.  
  
Unsure of what might commence after, but deciding to suck it up and keep a cheery demeanor, the Major stepped inside, shut the door, and called, "Helloo-oo!"  
  
She got no response, and as Misato headed inside and to the kitchen to drop off her drinks, she found out why, namely Asuka laying on the floor on her stomach, arms propping her up at the shoulders and her face aimed straight at the floor.   
  
Misato set the 12-pack down and looked a bit closer. Normally, she might have believed Asuka to be sleeping in that position somehow, but the posture seemed too controlled. Closing in, she soon noticed also that the Second Child's eyes weren't closed at all, just blinking and with a definite emotion burning inside. What it was, Misato had no idea, but her caring instincts took over as she slowly placed a hand upon the redhead's shoulder and inquired, "Is everything okay?"  
  
"No," Asuka spat out while keeping her eyes fixed to the carpeting, "everything isn't okay."  
  
"Weren't you with Shinji today?" Misato wondered while caressing the girl's shoulder to try and comfort her, but she scoffed in disgust and shrugged the hand away.  
  
"Was. Until that idiot ran off to see his precious Wondergirl. Bitch..." Needless to say, the anger in her voice was not only apparent, but greater than usual.  
  
Figuring this was to take a while, Misato sat down next to the angry girl, slipping her jacket off and keeping her voice in as much of a friendly tone as possible.   
"Why do you hate her so much, Asuka?"  
  
The Second Child chose not to respond.  
  
Misato continued her questions. "Is it because of how different she is in contrast to you?"  
  
"She's just a doll that lacks a personality. And yet Shinji's with her...he always is with her instead of me..."  
  
"You know that isn't true, Asuka. He does live here, right?"  
  
"What does it matter? He only wants to see her anyway....jerk..."  
  
Only then did a realization strike Misato, one that she should've seen earlier. "Asuka..." she asked in a curious voice, "...do you have feelings for Shinji?"  
  
Asuka's immediate response was to push herself up, worry as well as a touch of hatred in her eyes. "Y-yes....no...I don't know, dammit...Misato, why do I feel like this?" As an afterthought, she added, "....I'm so disgusted with myself."  
  
"You know you really don't mean that," Misato stated, "and there's nothing wrong with feeling the way you do."  
  
"What do you mean there's nothing wrong with it!?! I shouldn't like a wimpy idiot like him..." Asuka complained.  
  
The Major decided to try a different idea. "But you do. And that alone says that you know there's more than what you don't like about him. You see something that draws you to him. Why beat yourself up about it?" Of course, she somewhat regretted herself for saying this, in knowing she was being just a bit hypocritical, because she often kept Kaji at a distance for similar reasons, though also drastically different.   
  
This, however, still failed to stop the German girl from sulking. "It's not like I have a chance anyway."  
  
Now Misato's voice took on a more determined tone. "And just what makes you say that?"  
  
"You've seen how he is. I'm always second string compared to Wondergirl! He probably doesn't even care what I think."  
  
"You're wrong, Asuka. I'm certain that he does care about you. How, I don't know. But if you don't tell him, you might never know if he feels the same way."  
  
"How could he ever feel the same way?" Asuka demanded, looking right into her superior's eyes. "I treat him like dirt."  
  
"You can change that."  
  
"He'd wonder what was wrong with me, and you know it."  
  
Misato again tried to place her hand on the girl's shoulder and got a more positive response when she offered no resistance. "Please, just give it a shot. Speak from your heart. Ok?"  
  
The Second Child sighed a bit with both anguish and relief. "Fine, I'll.......try." She then rolled onto her side, going back to zoning out with a blank stare.  
  
That, at least, gave Misato some hope as she stood up, picked up the 12-pack and prepared to drink a couple in the kitchen. And although she was worried about Shinji, she had a feeling he would be home this evening.  
  
After sitting at the table and opening the first can, the Major raised it as if toasting to herself. 'Here's to luck, love, and everything else that makes living great,' she thought to herself as she took her first gulp.  
  
Once a short amount of time had passed, unknown to the purple-haired woman, Asuka found herself dazed and walking in a bit of a stupor towards her room.  
  
'Idiot...even if I do feel that way,' she pondered while fighting off an urge to punch a wall, 'where the hell do I begin?'  
  
It was then that the flame-haired girl stopped, seeing a sign on a door. The kanji called the room beyond the sliding door "Shinji's Lovely Suite". Oddly enough, she was rather curious about his room, so she opened the door as quietly as possible and stepped in.  
  
Though she had occasionally been in here before, the Second Child never really had taken a good look. However, the result wasn't all that surprising. Aside from clothes, school supplies, and the SDAT on his bed, the room was devoid of personal objects. Of course, she knew the SDAT was his only true possession, seeing as how everything else was simply a necessity.   
  
If nothing else, that music player was one of the few things that could tell her anything about him that she didn't already know, which helped her in deciding her course of action as she inserted herself under the sheets and slipped the earphones onto her ears, wondering how Shinji would react. In fact, Sohryu actually hoped that the boy would get pissed and yell at her. It would at least prove the existence of a backbone within his body.  
  
'If I sleep like he does,' she deduced, 'maybe I can figure out something about how he works.'  
  
Of course, Asuka's thoughts soon had little substance as she hit the play button on the SDAT and closed her eyes, falling asleep not long after the music began.  
-------  
Lost in darkness was the Third Child as he quietly slept, his thoughts filled with mixed feelings about both girls. On one hand, Rei Ayanami, oftentimes emotionless and silent, had shown at times an uncanny closeness to him that no one could match in hugging him and giving him the occasional smile, things she did with no other person. On the other hand, there was Asuka Langley Sohryu. Full of pride and what often seemed to be anger, yet also had a tender heart that was rarely seen by anyone but Shinji. In truth, he felt very lucky to be able to experience sides of both of them that no one else ever knew existed.  
  
Unfortunately, this stream of thoughts dissipated and physical awareness took over, informing Shinji that he was being jostled on the shoulder. Quickly did his eyes open, blinking a few times to re-orient his vision as he slowly sat up, noticing how unusually darkened the room was. The second thing his eyes fell on was Rei, though his eyes immediately averted themselves from her once he noticed she was only clad in her usual white bra and panties. Had he not takes his gaze away, both pilots would have realized how red each others' cheeks were.  
  
Shaking his head to try and clear some mental cobwebs, Ikari finally managed to get out, "It's dark in here."  
  
"Yes, it is." The reply seemed rather flat.  
  
"Why is it so dark...?" Shinji inquired as he did his best to adjust to the lack of any natural or artificial illumination.   
  
Rei's only action was to look at the window and say, "Because night has fallen."  
  
At that point, Shinji became alert quickly, scrambled out of the aqua-haired girl's bed and examined outside her window for himself. True to her word, the curtain of darkness had fallen upon Tokyo-3, and it made him panic a bit as he suddenly moved quickly towards his shoes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rei....I didn't mean to sleep for so long...Misato will be worried about me!"  
  
Again, she gave a blank stare, but her response possessed a caring tone to it. "It is fine. She knows you are not in any danger."  
  
"H-how can you be so certain?"  
  
"Even when we are alone, we are watched over, to insure that we remain unharmed."  
  
"NERV...my father...?"  
  
"To protect out well-being as Eva pilots."  
  
'It figures,' Shinji thought in a moment of depression. 'After all, he only said that he had called me because he had a use for me....'  
  
Rei decided to take this opportunity to say something she believed might be hard. In fact, she had been debating it for the past few minutes before shaking him awake. But she also believed that she just couldn't let him leave without knowing, so she went right ahead and said it. "You look very peaceful when you are sleeping."  
  
The remark halted Shinji in his tracks as a new feeling of warmth flooded his cheeks and fought a small, yet strong urge to cry. "What...?"  
  
"No one's ever given me a compliment like that before. Thank you."  
  
"You are welcome," Rei replied while giving him another smile.  
  
The Third Child then slipped on his shoes and obtained his bag. In polite fashion, Ayanami accompanied him as he opened the door and took one last look at her. "Will I see you tomorrow?"  
  
Rei then gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, despite how embarrassed Shinji was from it as she could easily tell from the incredible warmth she felt as her lips pursed upon his soft skin for but a moment or two before pulling back and looking into his eyes. She then nodded, an answer to soothe his mind, and blushed a bit more. "Goodbye, Shinji."  
  
The brown-haired pilot smiled at her for once. "Farewell, Rei...."  
  
Afterward, Shinji got moving, hoping that it wasn't late enough to the point where he'd lose any sleep or be late for school in the morning.  
-------  
Darkness often involved silence, because noise within an area where one could not see often provoked fear. Tonight was of little exception as Misato found herself still in a chair, staring at the lone beer can that had been opened. Unsure she was in regard to why she had failed to drink more than a single gulp since her talk with Asuka. Though, if her ears hadn't failed her not long after that gulp, she'd be thankful her instincts made her act accordingly.  
  
Nor could she know how much time had passed since Asuka had left the living room, having kept her eyes on the beer and worrying about Shinji.  
  
'I pray he's alright,' she hoped, knowing that she wouldn't rest until she knew the Third Child was either at home or somewhere safe. Indeed, she knew all too well that NERV security would keep an eye on him to make sure he stayed as alive and healthy as possible. But she also knew that being physically okay wasn't the whole deal, as one's mental well-being was also essential, and this was what worried her, since Shinji did have a lot of issues. As soon as she heard the entry door opening, though, her doubts slipped away, replaced by relief.  
  
Shortly thereafter, her eyes noticed Ikari going past her towards his bedroom, apparently having failed to see her. "Shinji!" she called in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
It caught the Third Child's attention as he halted in his tracks and finally noticed his guardian at the table, slowly approaching her. "Is....everything alright, Misato?" he asked, also at a lowered volume, noting the 12-pack and the single opened beer.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," the Major replied while sitting back in her chair, a bit of a change after having been hunched over staring at the beer for a long time, "just thinking."  
  
"I'm headed for bed, then. Good night."  
  
"Of course," Misato said as Shinji then walked away a bit. She then added, "You can always use the couch if you don't want to sleep in your room, you know?"  
  
That remark struck the brown-haired boy as odd. "Umm, alright, but why do you say that?"  
  
"Just thought I'd let you know. Remember what I told you before about this place?"  
  
"I remember," Shinji replied. Indeed, he had thought her to be crazy when she had told him that he could take advantage of anything in the apartment (save for the Major, and now, he assumed, Asuka and her things), but he came to realize that it had been her way of starting a bond of trust and care between the two of them. If nothing else, Misato Katsuragi at least had always made him feel welcome at home, and he appreciated her for it.  
  
"Have a restful evening," Misato offered before slowly taking the beer and beginning a long guzzle.  
  
"You, too," the young Ikari responded before turning and leaving the kitchen.  
  
Approaching his room, Shinji quietly slid his door panel open and moved as silently as possible, setting his bag down and nearing the bed, ready to just crash and get whatever sleep he possibly could.  
  
As he prepared to law down upon it, the little bit of dull light coming in through his window caught his eye as it dimly became distorted, namely because there was already something, or in this case, someone in his bed. And it only took a few more seconds of looking with his night-adjusted eyes to know that it was Asuka, covered in his sheets, his earphones on her ears, snoozing soundly.  
  
The sight made Shinji freeze up for several seconds as mixed emotions ran through his mind. Fear...curiosity...anguish...wonder...all these things presented themselves in the blink of an eye and faded away just as immediately as the Third Child took careful steps backward, closed his door, and moved in a bit of a stupor from the shock of his observation to the living room.  
  
Upon making his way to the couch, Shinji felt glad in retrospect that Misato had somehow known about it, now seeing her pillow as well as her sheet laid out for him.  
  
'I should really thank Misato for giving these up for me,' Ikari thought while feeling both gratefulness and guilt simultaneously. As he slid underneath the cover and positioned himself to lay on his back, the Unit-01 pilot could do little more than decide not to worry about what he had just seen and try to rest.  
  
Fortunately, sleep for the boy came very quickly. Unfortunately, the erotic dreams he had been experiencing for the past few days were not there. In its place was a messed-up nightmare of thoughts, feelings, self-loathing, and self-doubt as his body tossed and thrashed about.  
  
Somewhere deep down in Shinji Ikari's mind, a part of him prayed for a solution to resolve all this chaos. Only time would tell if such a solution would occur.  
-------End of Chapter Four  
Post-Chapter Author's Notes: Yeah, this one took even longer in time. Probably length, too. Each posting seems to have this habit. Writer's block, GTA: Vice City, Duel Monsters, and Kingdom Hearts are all to blame this time. I just have so many things I do so late at night! :-D  
  
And, yes, it might possibly seem that Rei and Shinji's relationship may be developing a little too quickly but, then again, they did know each other to a decent extent before the story takes place. Plus, let's not forget that Rei eventually does wish to "become one with Ikari", as more or less shown when she says as much before making her noble sacrifice in destroying the 16th Angel.  
  
Finally did I insert Commander Ikari in this story. I had to. You usually can't have any story where Rei deviates from her usual mannerisms and not have him notice or get involved in some way. Don't worry, he'll probably put in another appearance or two as I go.  
Now, for some thoughts into the future...  
-How will the mentally unstable Third Child react to the new development of Asuka Langley Sohryu sleeping in his bed?  
  
-What exactly are the desires of each girl after Shinji's heart?  
  
-Is the world meant to end soon, the first sign being Major Misato Katsuragi drinking only ONE beer?  
More to occur in the next chapter: A Time For Faith  
  
P.S.: I didn't know exactly what the tube was for in the series, though I'm guessing the liquid is LCL. I can only assume it was to aid in Rei's healing process. Hence, improvisation. Ain't it great?  
  
P.P.S.: If I start in on the ranting now, I'll never get any sleep! ;-P 


	5. A time For Faith

EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON  
  
Chapter Five: A Time For Faith  
  
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.  
  
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Okay, now that I've made a bunch of spelling corrections, maybe I can stop making them. But, then again, in one's endeavor to type up words and sentences, we can make the occasional typo, or two...or three.....or more. ^_^() Nevertheless, they've been corrected, and thus I shall continue with this tale.  
  
Oh, and before I go on, my thanks to those who have notified me of corrections in their reviews. They shall be corrected henceforth. Besides, it's a work in progress, both as a story and as my ability as an author, so of course mistakes will be made along the way. This little note is just to inform the readers of such decisions, because I do want to make sure that the reviews are well-received. Oh, and it's also to cover my own ass, in case I screw up again, though I try not to. :-D  
  
Now, last time, we had Asuka teaching for a day, as well as Rei and Shinji's bond continuing to strengthen. Let's see what happens when time accelerates a bit and we look in on the characters...  
  
Oh, yeah, can't forget about Asuka sleeping in Shinji's bed, and the emotionally unstable Third Child finding out. Who would've thought it? :-P  
  
And, for a quick recap of mark use....stupid being unable to use italics....or perhaps I just don't know how to format it correctly, yet.  
  
"Spoken Dialogue"  
  
'Character Thought'  
  
Written Material  
  
And a new one, since it is needed in this chapter...  
  
[Instant Message]  
  
Diving into the world of Evangelion in three....... two....... one.......  
  
-------  
  
It is often thought that time flows like a river. As events begin, occur, and pass, such a concept can be lost or be regained. A day might pass by for one person's perecption as quickly as a second, while for another, it may seem like an eternity every second of that same day.  
  
The thought processes of Shinji Ikari decided to take the former route as he prepared himself for school on a Thursday morning before looking at the lone calendar in the kitchen during lunch preparation for himself and Asuka. What he saw made him stop in movement for a moment or two.  
  
"My God..." he noted as his eyes came upon this particular date, which turned out to be approximately three weeks since Rei had chosen to begin instructing him in the ability to swim. Oddly enough, for a while, he had been guilty about her aiding him, not because of her gender, but since he felt he was taking up her time.   
  
"You are not," had been the First Child's reply to that statement born of worry and depression when he spoke it to her. "Outside of my duties as an Eva pilot, you are the only one I wish to spend time with."  
  
The compliment had made Shinji blush horribly as well as mentally silence his worry back then. And as each day went on, his voice of fear seemed to be slipping away, though due to having as much fear and anguish as he did, it was an uphill battle. A conflict that continued on every minute he wasn't around her. Somehow, being near her gave him an odd sense of comfort and protection.  
  
Interestingly enough, he had some form of that same feeling when hanging around Asuka. But it seems as if only he felt it, thanks to being one of the few if not the only person to have ever seen a softer side of her.   
  
Of course, the aftermath of that first Monday still gave him a bit of a spook even to this day. He had indeed questioned Asuka as to why she had been sleeping in his bed, though it had taken him a while to get up enough guts to. And the only answer that the redhead had given him was that she had been too tired to figure out exactly where her room was. Ikari's gut told him it was a bluff, but common sense stepped in and prevented him from asking any deeper, lest he tread where he didn't want to.  
  
'Why am I frightened to know..?' Shinji asked himself. 'Am I afraid she'll retaliate, or that I'll be drawn into something I can't get out of? I can't figure her out....'  
  
Unknown to the Third Child, he was so lost in his thoughts that he voiced them aloud. Thankfully, no one was around to hear the and call him crazy. Misato was off on an after-work drinking spree while Asuka had rushed out in a hurry to meet Hikari. In fact, it had been the German girl who had jostled Shinji awake earlier than usual, but only to request of him to have her food ready for school despite her immediate departure. Oddly enough, her tone had been rather soft and with a hint of pleading instead of barking or ordering.   
  
The young Ikari chalked it up to hallunication from receiving less sleep than usual as he put the final goods into both lunches, stuffed them into his pack, and headed for the door, shoes already on.  
  
Fortunately, his day didn't begin completely different when Toji and Kensuke popped up at his doorway as he exited the partment, as if on a constant cue.  
  
"Good morning, Shinji!" they called out in unison.   
  
"And Misa..." Toji began, but then spotted the look on the Third Child's face and stopped the usual greeting. "Hey, you ok?" the jock then inquired.  
  
Shinji's only response was to let out a loud yawn and blink repeatedly, his eyes looking a bit bloodshot. "G'morning..."  
  
The jock and his voyuer buddy sighed together. Today was going to be a long day.  
  
-------  
  
A short while beyond meeting up with Shinji, both Toji and Kensuke finally made a realization as the three of them strolled along the street towards school, namely that despite recent changes and events, the Third Child still didn't look too pleased for some reason. His face looked rather sullen, as if lost in cofusion or depression, neither of which would really surprise them.  
  
Finally, after a few more minutes of hearing little traffic noise as well as not a single spoken word, Toji broke the weird tension by jumping in front of the catatonic boy and standing in his path. Sure enough, Shinji continued to walk for a second or so before bumping into his friend, shocked to the point that he fell back onto the street. Fortunately, it also snapped him out of his stupor as he looked up at the black-clad boy.  
  
"Huh?" Ikari muttered.  
  
Kensuke laughed a little at the scene. He couldn't have guessed Shinji to fail noticing something in front of him. It was almost a little pathetic, but he decided not to say anything about it. Or at least not before finding out why, anyway. "Finally awake yet, Shinji?"   
  
"Yeah..." the Third Child replied as he regained his feet and rubbed his temples a bit, still disoriented from the fall.  
  
"So what's up with you today?" Kensuke chimed in. "Asuka hit you so hard, you blanked out?" That remark caused a sudden burst of laughter from Toji.  
  
Shinji shook his head. "It's not that, guys..."  
  
"So just what is it, then?" Ida continued in his little interrogation.  
  
"I'm....just confused, I guess."  
  
"What about?" Toji questioned aloud as he took a knee and began to untie his shoe.  
  
"Well....have you ever felt like you owed someone?"  
  
"All the time!" Kensuke exclaimed. "Hell, we owe you our lives many times over ever since you came here."  
  
"Thanks, really," Shinji responded with a bit of embarrassment, "but that isn't exactly what I was referring to. Not exactly that grand."  
  
"Need to get money to someone?" Suzuhara inquired.  
  
"Definitely not that small..."  
  
"Well, what do you think you owe?" the camera-boy said. "And to whom?"  
  
Shinji now blushed, nearly causing another round of laughs from the other two boys, for they had never seen a male with reddened cheeks before. However, it also caused both their sets of eyes to widen as they realized what he was talking about.  
  
Afterward, they grinned at the same time. "You're talking about Rei, aren't you?" the boys asked the Unit-01 pilot, again in uncanny unison, a testament of sort to the bond of friendship they shared.  
  
"Yeah..." was Shinji's answer, the blush still quite apparent upon his face. Kensuke got comfortable leaning against a nearby ledge and viewing the sky through his videocamera.  
  
"I suppose it makes sense," Toji noted as he re-tied his shoe. "After all, she has been helping you out-"  
  
Kensuke had guessed that, too, and decided to finish his friend's sentence, "But what we wonder is, if you're serious about this...you ARE serious, aren't you?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "Of course." However, as he said this, his cheeks were still deep red, and the voyeur easily caught on to this, as his hormone-driven brain formulated what the Third Child's idea happened to be.  
  
"I know what you want to do, Ikari!" Kensuke stated before grinning wide.  
  
"Wh-what do you think I'd do..?" Shinji nervously asked.  
  
"Plain and simple." This came from Suzuhara, who had stood up and also had a rather overly beaming look upon his face. "You want to ask her out, right?"  
  
Silence participated in this conversation after that statement as the Third Child's jaw dropped. In his body's shocked and frozen state, his mind decided to chip in its two cents. 'Am I that easy to read?' he wondered.  
  
Naturally, Ida decided to gleefully add more in to this. "Come on, Ikari," he said in a slightly teasing manner, "you can't fool us when it comes to her!"  
  
"I...I can't?"  
  
Toji laughed. "Not a chance! We've seen how you look at her the past few weeks. And you're almost always skipping out on lunch with us to be with her. You're falling for her, and hard."  
  
At this point, there was no denying to anyone the feelings running through Shinji's mind. "Okay. I admit....I admit that I want to."  
  
"Well, duh!" his two friends chimed simultaneously.  
  
But then Shinji's face again took on the mantle of worry. "But I don't really know how to go about it...."  
  
That prompted his friends to grin together. "Well, don't worry about it, Shinji!" Kensuke exclaimed with a bit of pride. "That's what we're here for!"  
  
"R-really...?"  
  
"Of course, dude!" Toji added. "We'll help you figure it all out, no sweat!"  
  
By now, Shinji's blush had more or less disappeared. "Thanks, guys," he said while feeling at ease about the whole idea. "But we'd better get going or we could be late."  
  
"It's not like we're late that often," Toji stated as the three boys walked on and their conversation became quickly inaudible.  
  
Inaudible, that is, to a certain class rep who ducked behind an alley after hearing all of that conversation, still panicking about accidentally eavesdropping on the three Stooges, but nevertheless feeling compelled to act upon it.  
  
'I have to tell Asuka...' she thought in an attempt to rationalize her listening in on them as she picked up her own pace toward the school, feeling both glad that Shinji was becoming more socially involved with a girl, as well as an opposed determination to aid her red-headed friend in some way.  
  
-------  
  
School proceeded in its usual dull fashion for almost all of those involved, though of course not as many as before were currently attending due to prior Angel attacks taking out good portions of the city, forcing refugees and victims to seek shelter elsewhere. This, at times, caused an overall depression amongst the students as they struggled to keep themselves occupied, entertained, or at attention during classes, no matter how boring or frustrating they may have been.  
  
Eventually, though, did lunchtime strike. And, as often was the case, it was a frenzy for many a student as they scrambled like mad to gather in their usual circles, groupings, or sometimes even pairings to socialize and enjoy the simple sensation of nutritional fulfillment within their stomachs.  
  
As for the only person outside of the Stooges' circle who was privy to any bit of their plan, she currently was eating by herself, both hopeful and worried about what might happen once Asuka knew of her fellow pilot's intentions.  
  
Or, rather, it seemed as though Hikari Horaki was eating by herself. Asuka was seated right next to her, but she hadn't begun to eat yet, her face giving off a mixed look of both distance and awareness, as if she was cut off in perceiving anyone else, yet fully focused on those she was paying attention to. As the class rep easily guessed, the Second Child's hawk-like gaze was directed toward Shinji.  
  
After several intense minutes of muching and drinking of milk being the only noise, Hikari decided to risk asking a question. "Is....everything alright, Asuka?"   
  
Asuka's only response was to blink rapidly a few times while feeling disoriented. "Huh?" she replied before her eyes settled upon her brown-haired friend.  
  
"You seem a bit distant today," Hikari said while setting down her food and looking the German firecracker in the eye. "What's on your mind?"  
  
Thankfully, the class rep's interruption of Asuka's daydreaming did allow her to finally begin eating her food. "Oh, you know," she mused, "the usual..."  
  
  
  
"By the usual, do you mean gazing at him as if you want to be right next to him, while also glaring at him as if you totally hated him, all at the same time?" That remark was followed by a look of surprise on Asuka's face, along with a giggle from Hikari.  
  
"Am I that easy to read?" the Second Child thought out loud, still in a bit of shock at her friend summarizing up what the redheaded girl had felt during that long look so well. Yet, she felt thankful for having a friend like Hikari at this moment, whom she could rely on and talk to, especially after telling off, yelling at, or arguing with Shinji, which happened often.   
  
"Well, were you?" the class rep shot back as she took another drink.  
  
"Yeah..." Asuka started before sighing a little and reclining in her chair. "Reminds me of something that happened a while back..."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"Sure, why not..." With that, Asuka let her mind slide back into the past, searching for a not-so-distant memory of the boy she both liked and hated at the same time.  
  
-------  
  
The memory that the Second Child's memory brought up happened shortly before the battle with Sandalphon, the Eighth Angel, inside of a lava pool on Mount Asama. More specifically, it had occurred, ironically enough, at the school's swimming pool. Asuka had been denied permission to go to Okinawa by none other than Misato, who also notified the redhead as well as Shinji of her disappointment in their dropping grades.   
  
That particular day, they were both at, coincidentally enough, the school's swimming pool, so that Asuka could satisfy her desire for some form of scuba diving in a stunning two-piece red-and-white swimsuit she had recently purchased while Shinji struggled with physics problems on his laptop. Before the German girl began to dive, though, she came over to assist him, as well as show off a little of both herself and her intellect.   
  
Her presence took some effect since the Third Child was momentarily blushing when his eyes fell upon the girl's chest, and afterward,also seeming impressed at her having gone to college and graduated the previous year.   
  
"So, just what makes this hard for you?" Shinji asked of Asuka as his eyes finally moved from her chest back tot he screen.  
  
"Well, one can't answer if one doesn't understand the question," she managed to say while pouting just a little.  
  
"You can't read the questions in Japanese yet?" the Third Child inquired in a bit of shock.  
  
"It isn't exactly something I studied," Asuka began before her eyes caught the next problem on Shinji's screen. Pointing at it, she now questioned of the boy, "So what's this one about?"  
  
"Thermal physics..." Shinji said, sighing.  
  
"Thermal physics? Ha!" Asuka's eyes lit up. "Child's play."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
That remark caused the Second Child to scoff at her roommate a little. "I'll put it in terms even you can understand, Shinji." Using her hands to make appropriate motions, she began to explain. "When most things get hot, they tend to expand. And when they get cold, they often contract."  
  
"I suppose it sounds simple enough..."  
  
"For example," Asuka continued as she put her hands on top of her chest, "if I were to warm up my breasts, do you think they would get bigger or smaller?"  
  
At this point, Shinji's cheeks had once again taken on a red coloration and his eyes were diverted from her. Quickly did the redhead's glare fall upon him. "Well, what do you think would happen!?!" she asked in a bit of exasperation.  
  
"I...I don't think about things like that," Ikari answered, fearing to look at her in any way.  
  
"Hmph. You're such a boring little boy." With that, she headed back over to a close edge of the pool where her scuba equipment was located and began to put the air tank apparatus on.   
  
After she was done, Asuka called out to Shinji and rolled backward into the pool. Just before the memory ended, she remembered one last detail, which happened to be seeing another girl, who was cleaning her hair and pulling a towel off.  
  
That girl turned out to be none other than Rei Ayanami.  
  
-------  
  
"So Rei's a swimmer.." Hikari mused while discarding her lunch's storage materials into a nearby trash bin. "It makes more sense now with her helping Shinji and all."  
  
"Hey, don't give Wondergirl all the credit!" Asuka exclaimed, her voice muffled a bit from having her mouth close to full. "I'm helping that idiot, too, you know. One day a week, maybe, but I still am!"  
  
"You also like that boy you call 'idiot'."  
  
Asuka blushed a slight shade of crimson. "Yeah...so what do I do about it?"  
  
"Well, why don't you try going out with him?" the class rep suggested.  
  
The Second Child burst out in laughter over that idea. "That's funny, Hikari. Like he'd ever be convinced I'd want to really ask him out. He'd think I was trying to trick him or something."  
  
"Come on, you don't really think that, do you?"  
  
Asuka let silence be her only response.  
  
"You really should give gim a try before..." In trying to reveal her knowledge, Hikari froze, not truly sure of how her friend might react.  
  
"Before what?" Asuka inquired, trying to finish the brown-haired girl's statment. "Before I do irreparable damage?"  
  
Hikari shook her head.  
  
"Before another Angel attacks?"  
  
Again, another negative.  
  
"Before he asks someone else out?"  
  
Now Hikari could nod.  
  
"Ha! It'll never happen. Shinji Ikari doesn't have enough guts to ask any girl out."  
  
Hikari sighed. "I...wouldn't be so sure about that..."  
  
"Hey, just what is that supposed to mean?" Asuka demanded, giving her friend a curious look while she finished eating her food.  
  
"I....it's...well..."  
  
"Come on, Hikari. If you've got something to say, say it already!"  
  
"Shinji plans to ask Rei out!" Hikari finally blurted out. Fortunately, the pressure she had been feeling all day vanished immediately.  
  
Asuka's jaw had dropped, unable to believe what her ears had just received. "Are....are you sure about this?"  
  
The rep's voice then lowered a bit. "Yes...he said so himself earlier."  
  
"To you?"  
  
"N-no, to his friends...as they were heading for school..."  
  
That caused Asuka to grin. "Hikari, you little sneak! I didn't think there was a spy in you!"  
  
"I never meant for it to...to happen like that."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it! Now, what can I do to stay one step ahead of that blue-haired bitch? Think, Sohryu, think..."  
  
Hikari, rather naturally, saw quite a bit of fault in Asuka calling Rei a bitch, seeing as how she hadn't really done anything to the German hothead, aside from the fistfight a few weeks ago.  
  
Shortly after the beginning of her brainstorm, the Second Child snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Hikari, do you need any clothes or accessories?"  
  
"No...well, maybe just a little, what for?"  
  
"Because I've got a plan..." Asuka said with a wicked grin, "...and I'll need your help to pull it off."  
  
-------  
  
On the opposite side of the cafeteria, Shinji Ikari was consuming his food alone. This happened as a result of both Kensuke and Toji choosing to ditch classes for the rest of the day. The cameraman's reasoning, quite logically, was that he needed more videodiscs. As for Suzuhara, he had chosen to sneak out so that he could spend more time with his sister than usual. Given that Tokyo-3 wasn't exactly heaven on Earth (more like hell on Earth at times), Shinji couldn't necessarily blame them. He was pretty sure that even if they were caught, they wouldn't be too badly disciplined.  
  
Fortunately, a short talk with his two friends before they had left revealed the true flaw in the Third Child's plan. He indeed had a good clue of what he figured she might be open to doing, it was just actually gathering up the courage to ask her that was the problem.  
  
As he began to eat, Shinji slowly felt himself becoming distanced from everyone. Not physically, of course, unless the hand of an Eva unit happened to smash its way through a wall or ceiling and flick him with but a single finger to a far corner of Japan. More like the underlying loneliness that always found its way into him before he fell alseep, leaving him with worries and fears.   
  
Over the past few weeks, most of this proved to have disappeared, as his bond with Ayanami grew. However, even now, he could feel it trying to creep up on him, though he didn't fully realize it as he ate. That is, until he heard a voice. However, he was unable to hear it, as it felt like an incoherent whisper.  
  
'Weird...' Shinji thought. 'I must be hearing things.'  
  
'You only hear what you want to hear.'   
  
It was the same voice he thought had been an illusion.  
  
'What...do you mean?' Shinji asked, curious about this voice, and yet fearful, for it sounded familiar to him. Where it came from, he couldn't figure out.  
  
'You only desire to hear that which will not hurt you.'  
  
Shinji began looking around to try and see if anyone was speaking to him, but no one was close enough to speak in such a low tone and volume.  
  
'Who are you?' Shinji wondered.  
  
'A meaningless question,' the voice replied, 'because you know the answer.'  
  
'I...know you...?'  
  
All of a sudden, images to his left appeared in the blink of an eye and was gone just as quickly, then some to his right in the same amount of time. Both on the left appeared to be in similar height and form to himself, while one image to his right seemed to look taller, almost as if it were an adult, though his brain couldn't really discern anything in all the confusion.  
  
'Who are you!?!' Shinji demanded, feeling both frustrated and frightened.  
  
'I am one who speaks what you cower and run away from. The truth.'  
  
'The truth..?'  
  
'The parts of you that you choose not to see. Those which you do not accept, yet still exist.'   
  
'I..don't accept...?'  
  
'The world is changing...' the voice continued. 'And the time comes when you must change as well.'  
  
'I don't understand!' By now, Shinji was feeling agonized by this voice.   
  
'You will understand soon enough. Do not be afraid to make a choice.' By now, the volume of this voice was fading, and Shinji began to feel weird, as if trying to awaken from something that he percevied to be real.  
  
'In the meantime, wake up...'  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked, only to suddenly feel fully aware of his surroundings, mostly the realization that he was still the only person sitting at the table as well as the clamor of the other students, chatting away as if nothing unusual had happened.  
  
Bewildered, the Third Child looked around, curious as to whom had been speaking to him. However, not a single student was nearby.  
  
"Weird.." Shinji muttered as something clicked in his brain and he glanced at the clock. Though he shouldn't have been surprised, he nevertheless was as his eyes noted there was only five minutes left for this lunch break. Naturally, he hurried to eat his food and dispose of the bag.  
  
As he left the cafeteria, Shinji stopped to take one last look at the table he had been at, still bewildered by the recent experience.  
  
'That was quite odd...' Ikari thought as he left the eating area, his thoughts moving back to convincing Rei to spend time with him.  
  
-------  
  
  
  
Back in the classroom, sure enough, Toji and Kensuke were absent, though the sensei made no real effort to find out why. 'Boys will be boys', he thought silently as his mouth droned on in yet another Second Impact lecture that never failed to deliver a lack of interest in every student.  
  
However, as Shinji took his seat, he noticed another folded note on his desk. Not knowing whom it was from, he took the paper and unfolded it, examining the writing.  
  
Need to talk to you in the back. Asuka.  
  
In a rather predictable fashion, Shinji turned his head toward the back of the classroom, past Rei, who was engaged in her usual activity of staring out the window, to see Asuka in one of the back seats, noticing his gaze and beckoning him with a hand.  
  
Timing it so that the sensei didn't notice, swiftly did the Third Child move and sit in an empty seat near the redhead. Then, after looking around to ensure that no one had really spotted him, he leaned over. "What is it?" he whispered to Asuka.  
  
"Oh! Misato gave me a call. She wants to talk to us later, after your lesson."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"She didn't say. All she told me was to meet up with her at the shopping mall after you were done today."  
  
"Oh, alright. I'll go there."  
  
"I'll wait outside after Wondergirl's done with you. Wouldn't want you getting lost now, would we, Third Child?" Asuka sarcastically commented while smirking.  
  
Shinji rolled his eyes. "I know my way around the city, but okay." After that, he moved back to his seat, looking over the monitor of his laptop.  
  
In the meantime, Asuka received a message upon her screen. [How did it go?] Of course, this question was from Hikari.  
  
[He bought it!] Asuka responded with a few taps of her fingers upon the keyboard.  
  
[How will I find you once you both get there?]  
  
[I'll find you. Don't worry.]  
  
[I don't have to be there all day, do I?]  
  
[Of course not! Just for a little while. Then make up some excuse, like you have to go home or something, and leave. After that, he's all mine.]  
  
[Alright...]  
  
[Hey, Hikari?]  
  
[What is it, Asuka? I'm somewhat busy.]  
  
[Thanks again for letting me know.]  
  
[Anytime.]  
  
-------  
  
In due time, school let out, the general population of students departed to engage in their recreational activities, and the First and Third Children went off again to engage in another lesson. Though it had only been approximately three weeks since they had begun, Rei was noticing considerable progress in Shinji's swimming abilities.  
  
"You learn quickly," she spoke as she drifted on her back, alongside the Unit-01 pilot, who felt at peace for the moment.  
  
"I...I do?"  
  
"You have shown much improvement in a small amount of time," Ayanami stated. "Some would be envious of such rapid development."  
  
"Thank you, Rei, but..."  
  
"What?"  
  
Shinji turned his head slightly to look at her gentle face. "Why are we on our backs liks this today?"  
  
"The purpose of today is not to learn."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You are being taught this skill five days a week. It is but a natural necessity to occasionally deviate from constant instruction, if only in small amounts."  
  
Shinji smiled at the blue-haired girl and held her hand. This action produced a blush in both teacher and pupil as their momentum ceased.  
  
They spent the rest of their time in the pool that way. Outside, however, Asuka Langley Sohryu had taken a chair, sat in it, and waited next to the boys' changing room, doing her best to finish some of her own homework and uttering the occasional curse when she couldn't read certain questions. She didn't even care about the occasional muttering from passing students. At least, not until she heard a familiar one.  
  
"Whoa, speak of the Devil!"  
  
Asuka looked up from her computer to see Toji and Kensuke together. As usual, Kensuke was viewing her, and probably the world as well, through his videocamera, and Toji happened to be carrying a basketball with him.  
  
"Oh, it's you two," Asuka said rather flatly.  
  
"Yeah, it's us!" Toji retorted, leaning against a nearby wall. "Thought we'd check up on Shinji. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Waiting for the idiot. He and I have business to take care of after those two are done."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Kensuke questioned, zooming in on her face. "What kind of business?" Normally, the voyeur wouldn't even think of having guts in a situation like this, but with Toji close, he felt a bit safer.  
  
"None of yours!" Asuka fired back, closing up her laptop, placing it within her bag, and smirking at the two boys. "It's classified."  
  
Toji decided to call her bluff on this one. "The hell if it is! You just want to torment the kid more, don't you? Haven't you put him through enough?"  
  
By now, Asuka had stormed up to them and her face was blatantly staring holes into the jock, doing her absolute best not to lose her temper, knowing they were only trying to stick up for their friend. "I told you, it's between me and Ikari."  
  
"Whoa, check out how angry she looks!" Kensuke chimed in, getting a decent shot of her snarling face. "This is priceless!"  
  
Without so much as even a twitch of warning, Asuka's hand flew, slapping Kensuke on his left cheek and causing the boy to stumble back a bit in shock from the speed of her movement. "Jerk!" she called him.  
  
"Hey, you two!" another voice called. To be exact, the class rep's voice.  
  
"Hikari!?!" All three of them replied at the same time.  
  
"Don't you Stooges have any shame?" Hikari went on, stepping between the hothead German and the angry jock to put some space between them. "Now get out of here before you ruin Asuka's date!"  
  
All three faces went wide-eyed. "WHAT?" was the response of Toji and Kensuke.  
  
"Umm, Hikari.." Asuka began.  
  
"Huh?" Now it was Hikari's turn to be shocked, as she had just revealed Asuka's true intent! "Oh, shit."  
  
"They...weren't supposed to know..." Asuka quietly uttered while looking away.  
  
Toji, on the other hand, was stuttering. "Y-you...and....you and he....you're..going to...you've gotta be kidding me!"  
  
"Like I said," the Second Child restated though gritted teeth, "it's between me and him, so don't get involved, or you'll have to answer to me, understand!?!"  
  
"Fine," Toji answered. As both Stooges prepared to take off, the jock leaned in close to the redhead and said, "Just don't put him through hell, or you'll have to answer to US."  
  
"Fair enough..." Asuka muttered a Hikari ushered the jock and his Eva-obsessed friend out of the school, berating them all the while for trying to get involved in Asuka's plan.  
  
-------  
  
Shortly after all the yelling taking place beyond them ceased, Rei and Shinji exited the pool and began to dry off. Neither spoke a word, the movements of their respective towels being the only sounds for what seemed to be several intense seconds for both pilots.  
  
Finally, Rei spoke, having finally placed the earlier shouting heard not far beyond them with a person whom she was only somewhat familiar with. "Shinji?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm?" Ikari halfheartedly responded as he worked moisture out of his hair.  
  
"The Second Child is here..."  
  
"That's right." By now, Shinji's hair was dry enough for him.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Hmm, well.." Shinji answered while folding his towel up, "..Misato needs to talk to us both once I get changed and leave."  
  
Rei nodded slightly, not seeing a need to pursue that line of questioning any further at this time. "You will not be walking with me today?"  
  
"Not with Asuka waiting for me. But, um...can I, I mean..." As he trailed off, Shinji felt something that he couldn't exactly describe. As if he felt he would lose strength if he were even just a second away from Rei's side.  
  
"What?" The First Child's voice, though quiet in volume, did possess care within the single word.  
  
"Rei.....can we talk a bit...later?"  
  
"Later?"  
  
"Yeah, after I get done with whatever Misato wants to discuss with us."  
  
Rei pondered the idea for but a few seconds, then nodded. "Of course. I will be at home."  
  
"Gotcha!" Shinji cried while hauling to the changing room. "It won't take long. I'll be there, I promise!"  
  
Rei then smiled just a little, feeling both a bit elated from the boy's eagerness to be with her, and yet also somewhat saddened that he had to be gone so soon. They hadn't even had time for a farewell hug before his departure.  
  
These feelings all passed within the span of mere seconds before other feelings surfaced. Emotions such as fear, longing, and premonition. Naturally, however, no one would be able to discern any of this from seeing her statue-like face.  
  
Fortunately, rationalization quickly surfaced. 'Shinji has promised to meet with me, and I know him to be worthy of my trust...and perhaps...'  
  
Even as her cheeks began to redden in color and one of her hands placed itself upon her chest, she chose to finish her thought, desiring to embrace the words as opposed to rejecting them, for to deny a truth so very apparent would consume her with doubt as to the bond formed between herself and the Third Child.  
  
'Perhaps...my heart as well...'  
  
With a gentle sigh, the First Child got her feet moving again, taking her to change back into her uniform.  
  
'My heart is with you, Shinji Ikari,' she thought. 'We shall see each other again, as you have promised.'  
  
-------  
  
Deep down within NERV HQ at this point in the day, Lieutenants Maya Ibuki, Shigeru Aoba, and Makoto Hyuga were unwavering in their presence despite the recent halt of destruction in the city.  
  
Currently, the three were engaged in some common downtime activity. Ibuki, typing with incredible speed by most standards, was working on a routine maintenance check of the Magi systems. Hyuga, of course, was getting laughs out of a manga he happened to be reading. And Aoba happened to be lost in guitar motions with his hands, his mouth humming away to a tune only he understood.  
  
Maya, however, was a bit bothered by the two males and their casual attitudes at the moment. "Can't you guys be a bit more serious for once?" she asked while taking a sip from her coffee, noting that it was empty now. "You both look like you're slacking off."  
  
Shigeru gave her a rather confused look. "What, aren't we allowed to savor what small amounts of peace we get?"  
  
"He's right!" Makoto chipped in. "It's not exactly like we get a hell of a lot of free time to begin with, doing what we do and all. So why shouldn't we relax a little and enjoy ourselves?"  
  
"Because the moment you let your guard down," a businesslike, yet famliar voice answered, "is the moment they might assault us."   
  
All three operators turned their heads to notice Ritsuko approaching them, having just stepped off from a nearby elevator, a look of business on her face, as was often the case.  
  
"Oh, um, afternoon, Doctor Akagi..." Aoba nervously began, his hands frozen in place right after she had spoken. Hyuga had also stopped, making sure his attention was on his superior.  
  
With little care to the men's frozen looks, Ritsuko approached Maya, leaning over and looking at her monitor. "So, how are the Magi?" she asked.  
  
"Just fine, m'aam," Ibuki answered, her gaze stuck to the screen while her fingers continued to fly across the keyboard. "Nothing out of the ordinary to report."  
  
"Thanks, Maya," the blonde scientist said before standing back up and directing her gaze to Shigeru and Makoto, still with slightly fearful looks upon their faces.  
  
"Now, as for you, Lieutenants Aoba and Hyuga," Dr. Akagi stated, her tone becoming a bit strict, "I'd suggest you be more attentive to your work, and less concerned about daydreaming."  
  
"With all due respect, Doctor," Hyuga pleaded while setting down his manga, "we were just trying to enjoy ourselves a little. The city's been quiet lately, after all."  
  
"He's right!" Aoba chimed in. "And that isn't even mentioning how the longest known time between Angel attacks was fifteen years. Don't we deserve a little bit of R&R?"  
  
"That may indeed have been the longest recorded time between when the Angels chose to strike," Ristuko argued, "but that doesn't mean it'll happen again. Based on the data we've obtained from all previous battles, it's safe to conclude that while the time between appearances shows no real consistency, it doesn't mean we can sit back on our asses. We need to be ready whenever it happens, whether it be five seconds from now, or several weeks into the future. Do you both understand that?"  
  
"Yes, m'aam," the male lieutenants responded together as they both got to work on their monitors.  
  
Ritsuko left after that without another word. As soon as she was out of earshot, Hyuga whispered over to Aoba, "That went well..."  
  
"No kidding," Shigeru replied in a similarly hushed voice, "I thought she was going to send us to the Commander."  
  
"Well, as long as do better to avoid being caught next time, it shouldn't be all that bad," Makoto offered. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you..."  
  
"What's up?"   
  
"You think she plays favorites? Dr. Akagi, I mean."  
  
"With who?"  
  
"Maya, of course..."  
  
"Well," Aoba answered, "it's certainly possible. Granted, they're both women and they work on the Magi systems together, but favorites?"  
  
"You have to admit, they seem to work well together," Hyuga noted before leaning a bit closer to the long-haired operator. "In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd almost say they were a bit closer than colleagues."  
  
Shigeru went a little wide-eyed from that. "Are you saying that they've got a thing for each other?"  
  
"I don't know. It seems to be a one-way street, from what I've seen."  
  
"Just what have you seen? I'm closer to her than you are."  
  
"I've got a better viewing angle. And from what I see, Ritsuko's all business, even with her. But Maya...the way she looks at her sometimes...it makes me think she's got a crush."  
  
Aoba was forced to stifle a laugh from Makoto's idea. "Well, that would be rather interesting to see, wouldn't it?"  
  
"You bet it would," Hyuga finished as he brought his eyes back to his computer screen.  
  
Unbeknownst to either of the men, Maya had heard every bit of their conversation. She was quite thankful for being able to hear them secretly discussing her, yet far enough from either one so that they wouldn't notice the deep blush upon her cheeks.  
  
-------  
  
As the day moved on, Asuka and Shinji made their way to the mall, engaged in a conversation. Or, rather, a one-sided conversation, as the redhead talked on and on about little things while Shinji's head was in the clouds. In fact, he had been that way ever since their conversation in class. Eventually, the Second Child noticed this and intentionally stepped ahead of Ikari to block his progress.  
  
Sure enough, the Third Child bumped right into her, his face taking on a shocked look. "Huh..?"  
  
"Are you even listening to me, Shinji?" Asuka asked, looking rather annoyed.  
  
"I...I'm sorry..." Shinji managed to say as he shook his head clear of cobwebs.  
  
"Ugh!" the Second Child cried, disgusted as usual with her fellow pilot's contsant apologies. "Just pay attention, will you?"  
  
"Um, alright...." the brown-haired boy replied as the two pilots began to move towards the mall once again, their steps in uncanny synchronization.   
  
  
  
Of course, no one except the two of them would ever understand how they were able to do such a feat, having needed to do so once for an Angel battle, and while it had been a difficult process, it helped to form the beginning of their friendship, as rocky as it was.  
  
"Just what was with the blank stare, anyway?" Asuka inquired as they neared the mall.   
  
As usual, Shinji wasn't sure what to say, lest he offend her in some way, so he decided to stick with what portion of his day he felt safe talking about. "I..something weird happened during lunchtime..."  
  
"You mean aside from sitting all by yourself?" the Second Child questioned with a smirk forming on her face.  
  
"I...saw things..."  
  
"Everyone sees, you dork! What do you think we have eyes for?"  
  
"I'm serious...something felt odd about it..."  
  
"You're feeling weird about eating food now, Shinji?"  
  
"That's not it. If felt...like..." Try as he might, the Third Child couldn't find the right words to express his encounter.  
  
"Like a hallucination?" Asuka joked, just before Shinji's eyes went wide as he realized that that was the correct word for his experience.  
  
"Y..y-yes....that's what it was...it had to have been.."  
  
By now, Asuka was the one with the look of confusion on her face. "You're kidding me. You, a simpleton, seeing things? That's impossible."  
  
"It's...it's what happened..."  
  
Sighing, the redhead decided to try a little rationalization, along with a fierce tone in her voice to snap her brown-haired companion from his latest trance. "That can't happen, Shinji, and for one simple reason, and that's because...."  
  
"Hmm?" Shinji wondered, curious as to what she might offer to disprove his vision.  
  
"Well, don't tell anyone I said this..."  
  
"Ok....I won't."  
  
"Good! Now, the reason I think you couldn't possibly be hallucinating is because you may be a boring person, but you're quite healthy. You don't go getting in trouble, and even I can't ever think you'd stoop to the level of drugs. So, therefore, you shouldn't be having this kind of problem." With that, Asuka put on a face of victory, as if she had just won an argument against Rei, overkill included.'  
  
And yet, Ikari remained quite somber. "But...it happened...it told me..."  
  
"It? It who?"  
  
"Just some voice..."  
  
"Someone you know?"  
  
"Well, it was familiar.."  
  
"So who was it?" Asuka continued, wanting to see just how much dirt she could milk out of Shinji in this state. "One of those Stooges? Wondergirl? ME, perhaps?"  
  
"No, none of them, or you."  
  
"Then just who was it?"  
  
"I don't know!" Shinji cried, a bit exasperated by the German girl's barrage. "I just know it from somewhere!"  
  
"Like a dream or something?"  
  
"No, it wasn't a dream...."  
  
"Then where did you hear it?"  
  
"I...don't remember..."  
  
"Scheisse..." Asuka said as she took hold of Shinji's wirst and walked forward, dragging him somewhat as his feet tried to keep up.  
  
"Hey, Asuka..."  
  
"This isn't getting us anywhere! Let's just meet up with Misato before she gets worried."  
  
Letting the conversation die there, Shinji picked up his pace and followed the ego-inflated girl to the shopping mall, still wondering just what their guardian wanted to talk about, as well as why she would do it in a mall of all places.  
  
-------  
  
As for Rei Ayanami, nothing was out of the ordinary at the moment for her trip home, save for the fact that Shinji wasn't walking with her. While going home alone was quite normal for her, she nevertheless felt a bit lonely, seeing as how she was used to and enjoyed the company of the Third Child these past few weeks.  
  
Naturally, she paid no attention to anyone around her, except to avoid bumping into people and causing awkward moments with her silence. It's not that she couldn't hear or observe them, but rather, she felt they were not a significant part of her life and, thus, she felt it unnecessary to make contact.   
  
'Is it this way with all humans?' she thought. 'Do they all exist within what few connections they feel safe with, unable or unwilling to reach out to others?'  
  
To her, Shinji was a whole different story. Lack of contact with him had been impossible, for they had to work alongside one another. After all, they were two of the only three people capable of piloting the monstrous and fearsome Evangelions. And yet, Ikari, despite being an introvert on par with herself, made an effort to know and understand her.   
  
'From the moment he first held me in his arms, he felt...different. He was as afraid as I was at the time, yet he chose to try and help me, comfort me, despite the possible danger to himself at the time...'  
  
As she neared a curb to wait at, she continued to over hear bits and pieces of conversations among other people. Two, in particular, caught her attention with the first sentence she heard.  
  
"I still can't figure it out! That redhead and...Shinji? I still can't believe it, dude!"  
  
Hearing this, Rei's attention shifted to the speaker, a tall boy in black clothes, carrying a basketball. She quickly identified him as one of Shinji's two friends from school. The other was as equally unmistakable, carrying his prized videocamera.  
  
"You'd better believe it, Toji," Kensuke replied as the two waited for a walk light to appear. "Though, I admit it's hard to swallow myself."  
  
Unknown to either boy, Rei was now behind them, wondering what else they might say before either one noticed her, if at all. Though the First Child wasn't accustomed to engaging in such behavior, she did feel a desire to know where Shinji was, if only to ease her loneliness a little.  
  
"Fifty bucks says they don't last ten minutes!" Suzuhara threw back as he stretched his neck. "Should we go check it out?"  
  
Kensuke was humored by the idea. "I thought you wanted to change clothes and head to my place today?"  
  
"Might be worth missing out on another round of games just to see if it works, you know," Toji responded. "What do you say, man?"  
  
Realizing that neither boy might yield anymore information without her asking, Rei sharply cleared her throat. Sure enough, both boys took notice and turned around to see the First Child behind them, freezing up after realizing who it was.  
  
After a few moments of silence did the two guys try to break the ice.  
  
"Um....uh..." came from Kensuke.  
  
Toji, at least, kept his cool. "Ayanami," he greeted with a slight nod. Rei nodded back in acknowledgement.  
  
"What are you doing here?" the cameraman wondered, thankful that his friend had decided to start this possibly nerve-wracking conversation.  
  
"I am going home," Rei answered. Though she didn't normally ask questions, the blue-haired girl couldn't stop herself from doing it now. "What are you two doing here?"  
  
"Same thing," Toji spoke as he flexed his fingers and cracked his knuckles, for no apparent reason. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"You two were discussing the Third Child..."  
  
By now, the walk light was showing, yet none of the three took a single step off the curb. "Yeah, we were talking about Shinji," Kensuke confirmed.   
  
"I see..." the First Child replied before her gaze returned to its neutral state.  
  
Not long after their words died, the walk light appeared. Kensuke began to start off the curb, but was stopped by Toji's arm blocking his chest. Rei noticed this as well, for they were in front of her and would need to cross before she could.  
  
"Hey, what gives, Toji?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"We can't leave it at this, you know..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Suzuhara made a head gesture to Rei. "Her."  
  
Ida sighed. "You sure you want to tell her?"  
  
"It isn't right to keep her in the dark..."  
  
"In the dark?" Rei questioned, startling both boys, having forgotten that she was directly behind them and could easily hear everything they were saying. In her experiences, Ayanami didn't exactly hear a lot of slang expressions.  
  
"Well, yeah..." Toji explained, "when someone isn't informed about certain things. That's what it means."  
  
"Nah, there's a little more to it then that," Kensuke chimed in. "In most cases, those who do know are keeping the uninformed person from finding out that information."  
  
"You are...withholding information?"  
  
"Not anymore," Toji answered as he leaned against the light post. "Look, it's not going to sound good, and it might even be kinda heartbreaking, but..."  
  
Rei awaited in pure silence, not needing to get home right away and somewhat curious as to what else the jock would say, as well as wondering why she was even here, having this conversation.  
  
"...well, Shinji and Asuka are over at the mall-"  
  
"I know of their meeting with Major Katsuragi," Rei interrupted.  
  
"Oh, so that's her bullshit excuse, huh?" Suzuhara retorted, causing the blue-haired girl to flinch slightly, since she wasn't accustomed to harsh profanity any more than slang.  
  
Kensuke took notice of this and jumped back in. "I have to apologize for Toji's language. He gets mouthy where certain people are concerned. But, I gotta admit, it's a good bluff for this kind of plan."  
  
Though Rei's epxression ceased to change, a slight amount of fear began to creep into her heart. "You mean what Shinji told me is not what they will be doing?"  
  
"Well," the cameraman went on, "it's what he thinks will happen. Truth is, Asuka's luring him into a date."  
  
Yet another term the First Child wasn't familiar with. "A date?"  
  
"Y'know, when two people get together to be with each other?" Toji said in an attempt to clarify the term.  
  
"Like you two are now?"  
  
Toji went slack-jawed. Kensuke did his best not to burst out in laughter. "No, no, nothing like that!" the tan-haired student exclaimed. "We're just hanging out. We're friends, after all."  
  
By now, Rei's look was that of some confusion. "I do not understand."  
  
"Well, how about this, then?" Suzuhara offered. "Two people being with each other in a more...agh, what's the word..."  
  
"Looking for -intimate-, Toji?" Kensuke interjected.  
  
"Yeah, that's it! Two people being with each other in a more intimate way than normal."  
  
"Oh..." A blush found its way to Ayanami's cheeks as she began to understand. "And this is what Pilot Sohryu and Shinji are doing?"  
  
"That's what they'll be doing soon enough...." Toji's voice trail off as he felt his heart grow heavy. "I'm sorry that we had to tell you...we didn't meant to hurt you, Ayanami-"  
  
"You have not harmed me in any way," she corrected as she stepped ahead of them to cross the street, the next walk light having appeared. "Goodbye."  
  
As she walked away, the two Stooges could only look in awe.   
  
Shortly after, Toji began to stretch again, feeling slightly stiff from leaning against the post for so long. "That...had to be one of the weirder conversations I've had."  
  
"No kidding. You can never tell if she's paying attention or off in her own universe. Damn..." Kensuke muttered as he adjusted the shoulder strap of his camera, giving temporary relief to his eyes, and stepped off the curb, ready to head to his home, only to be halted in place by the taller boy's arm once again.  
  
"Hey!" Kensuke spoke as he looked back to Toji's rather stern face. "What gives?"  
  
"Let's head for my house this time."  
  
"Well, sure, but what for?"  
  
Toji grinned. "I've got a plan..."  
  
-------  
  
In many cultures, shopping centers are always an excellent example of humanity's unity, or rather, the illusion thereof. Many people gathered in a small space, and yet they individualize, going about their lives with almost no concern for others except for those few known by or close to them.  
  
Shinji Ikari proved to be no exception to this rule as he remained like a statue in the clothing shop he and Asuka were in, wondering when the hell Misato would make her presence known. As for the Second Child, she had insisted on coming in here after meeting up with the class rep, who happened to be one of the few friends she had in Tokyo-3. Naturally, Shinji offered little to no resistance upon entering this place, though his cheeks had taken on a constant tinge of red as he stood here in the women's section while both Hikari and Asuka rifled through clothes like Kensuke and top-secret military data, were he ever to acquire any.  
  
And the feisty German wasn't making the ordeal any easier. "Hey, Shinji!" she called, breaking his trance.  
  
The Third Child turned to meet her eyes. "Yeah?"  
  
"Make yourself useful and help us out, would you?"  
  
"What is it?" Shinji pondered as he approached the two girls, each holding onto a hanger.  
  
"We need a third opinion on these-" Hikari began to explain.  
  
"You're the one who thinks we need a third opinion!" Asuka blurted with a tone of irritation. "And why do we need him, anyway?"  
  
"It's not like there's anyone else around here we know." The almond-haired girl's focus then went back to Asuka's flatmate. "You don't mind helping us, do you?"  
  
"N-no, of course not.." Shinji stammered, the light blush on his cheeks easily evident.  
  
Asuka scoffed. "Fine, just don't sit there and spend an eternity deciding, okay? Let us know which you think would look better on me." On that note, both girls held swimsuits up for Shinji to observe.   
  
After another wave of embarrassment struck and passed, as well as a proportionate deepening and fading of red upon his cheeks, Ikari finally managed to look at the articles presented before him. Held upon Hikari's hanger was a one-piece crimson suit, similar in style and modesty to the ones he'd seen girls wear at school, while Asuka's held a yellow string bikini, less material and with less to leave to the imagination.  
  
"Well, don't just stand there and stare, idiot," Asuka said, "make up your mind!"  
  
Shinji couldn't help but stare a bit as he wrestled with the choice. But, soon enough, he came to a logical conclusion, pointed toward Hikari, and said, "The red one works."  
  
"Oh, really?" Asuka shot back while smirking. "And just why is that?"  
  
"Well, umm..."  
  
"Don't tell me," the Second Child interjected, "you're incapable of seeing me in anything that lets me show off my gorgeous figure!"  
  
That statement, of course, allowed a split second for Shinji to imagine her clad in the yellow outfit as well as for much more red to appear on his cheeks.  
  
"Ah-ha!" the redhead exclaimed, as if figuring out something only she could understand. "You were thinking about it, weren't you, Third Child?"  
  
Before Shinji could reply, the rep butted in. "Please, Asuka, give him a chance to explain." Asuka found herself at a loss for words, not having expected her friend to stop her from one of her daily verbal bashings of the boy.  
  
With a curious look, Hikari inquired, "So, just why did you choose this one, anyway? Is it really because of what Asuka just said?"  
  
"No!" Shinji answered, though he knew it to be a half-truth. He was just thankful Hikari had been around to help him dodge a bullet with the German female. "I mean...she just seems to like red, that's all..."  
  
"Ohh, well then, great Shinji Ikari," Asuka spoke in a sarcastic tone, "enlighten us with your wisdom. How ever did you come to that kind of conclusion?"  
  
"It wasn't hard...it's the color of your hair and Unit-02." It felt desperate, but Shinji knew enough about Asuka to know that she had a lot of pride in her Evangelion.  
  
Asuka's face brightened, much to the surprise of the class rep and the brown-haired pilot. "Hey, you're right!" After that, she took the suit from her classmate. "Well, I'll go purchase this, then. Didn't you have something you needed to take care of, Hikari?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot..." Hikari responded, while shouldering her bookbag. "I've got to get home. Seeya, you two!" She then took off, waving to them as she made herself scarce.  
  
Shortly thereafter, Asuka purchased the one-piece suit and departed the store with Shinji in tow.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but sigh. "It's been two and a half hours," he thought aloud, "so where's Misato?"  
  
A series of beeping noises startled both of them. Asuka cursed under her breath and reached into her purse, pulling out a phone similar in shape and model to Ikari's, undoubtedly given to her by the Major like she had with him.  
  
Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Shinji paid little attention to the redhead's voice, instead taking a moment to close his eyes and clear his thoughts, his body taxed as a result of Rei's lesson and his mind exhausted from enduring Asuka's usual sarcasm.  
  
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending upon how a person viewed it, Asuka wrapped up her conversation shortly and sat next to Shinji, jostling him. "Hey, wake up, dork! This isn't nap time!"  
  
Shinji's eyes opened slowly and he found himself looking into her dark blue eyes, and it slightly spooked him. "Wh-what's going on?"  
  
"Looks like whatever Misato wanted to talk to us about turned out to be nothing," Asuka explained, "so we've got the rest of the day to ourselves."  
  
"Nothing...?"  
  
"Yeah..." As the Second Child sighed, both pilots looked up toward the sky, currently crimson as afternoon beginning to wane, each of them lost in their own thoughts. For Shinji, a small bit of reflection upon the day's activities, while Asuka wondered just what she should do now that she had him alone. Thankfully, she didn't need to think too much, as she noticed the Third Child gulp involuntarily. Her gaze found his face and she asked, "Hey, what is it?"  
  
"Nothing....just starving, I guess."  
  
"Well, that works, then..." Asuka started.  
  
"What does?" Shinji questioned.  
  
"I've got an idea," the redhead said while she got to her feet, "let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry, too."  
  
"It's getting late...shouldn't we get home?"  
  
"Don't worry about it!" Asuka stated. "Misato won't worry about us."  
  
"Are you sure...?"   
  
"Of course I'm sure!" With that, she offered her hand to him. "Now, come on!"  
  
Nervously, he grasped her hand and stood, following as she resumed walking.  
  
Asuka felt a bit ecstatic. "Let's see, since Wondergirl isn't with us, our choices for dining aren't limited! This should be interesting..."  
  
And on Shinji's end, two things bothered him. First, he was feeling nervous about holding Asuka's hand. Though her grip was tighter than Rei's, he didn't feel threatened by it. Second, though he didn't know why, he had an eerie feeling as they looked around for the food court. It was almost as though the two of them were being watched...  
  
-------  
  
Not far from the pilots, two pairs of eyes observed their movements, though they neither heard any conversation amongst the introvert Shinji and redheaded Asuka, nor made an effort to do so between themselves. Using vendor stands as cover, the eyes of each viewer was concealed due to devices held to the face, and although they received an occasional odd look or two from passerby, no one cared enough to say anything. For one, the view was focused, but very little magnification as he adjusted the position of his binoculars, while the other made use of his camera's zoom feature to close in on the pilots' faces.  
  
"Man, you'd think they'd be done by now!" Toji said with a slight tone of disgust while taking a minute to rest his supporting arm.  
  
"What are you complaining about?" Kensuke asked, kneeling and keeping a close eye on the action. "It was your idea."  
  
Suzuhara sighed. "I know...but I didn't think staking out those two would be so exhausting."  
  
"You're a jock, and you call this tiring?" Kensuke joked.  
  
Toji shot an annoyed look at his friend before placing the binoculars to his eyes once more. "Funny. I meant that it's wearing my patience thin."  
  
"You just can't wait to jump in and break it up, can you?"  
  
"Damn right. If she even lays one hand on him...."  
  
"What, you're hoping he'll strike back?"  
  
Toji nearly lost his balance from an outburst of laughter. "Well, that would work! Shinji can pack somewhat of a wallop."  
  
"You'd know, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Yeah..." Toji took a quick moment to reflect upon when he begged Shinji to strike him back. It happened between Shinji's first and second battles in Unit-01, with Toji blaming the shy pilot for having his little sister hospitalized and subsequently beating him up one day.   
  
After seeing how the encounter affected the fragile psyche of Shinji, especially during and after his battle with the Fourth Angel, Suzuhara had asked to be hit back as a matter of retribution, to put his mind at ease. The Third Child had done so, but only after the guilty jock requested him not to hold back.   
  
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Kensuke responded, "for everyone's sake." Noticing that the couple had finally stopped, he looked up at Toji. "They're at the food court. Let's go!"  
  
Treading carefully, the two spies hid behind a nearby corner, positioning themselves to take full advantage of their viewing devices while leaving as little of their bodies exposed as possible, seeing as how they didn't want to be discovered.  
  
At this point, conversation took a backseat to fascination as Kensuke pondered just what would transpire here and Toji, though his eyes were in the same place, kept his ears perked, not wanting to be escorted out if they could help it.   
  
Sure enough, the jock's paranoia kicked in as a series of footsteps closed in upon them, then abruptly stopped.   
  
Toji tensed up, prepared to bolt if need be. 'The steps don't sound too heavy..' he thought. 'Not like regular shoes or sneakers...'  
  
Suddenly, a familiar female voice spoke from behind them. "Excuse me..."  
  
Both the jock and cameraman stopped watching the unknowing pilots and immediately turned to face Misato, clad in her usual NERV gear as well as a pair of high heels and looking as surprised as they did.   
  
Kensuke quickly lowered his camera and bowed, with Toji following suit. "Greetings, Major!"  
  
"Yeah, greetings, Miss Misato..."  
  
Misato felt slightly embarrassed, but understood they were just being polite. "Well, thank you both."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Aida asked after rising.  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes," Misato spoke, her tone becoming serious. "I need to ask you two something."  
  
"Hey," Toji chimed in, "how did you find us?"  
  
Kensuke decided to answer that. "Dude, NERV's got people all over this city! You'd be nuts to think they'd have a hard time locating someone."  
  
"Yeah, something like that..." Misato added, thankful she didn't have to tell them how she actually found them. "Now, I've got a question for both of you."  
  
"What is it?" Toji wondered.  
  
Misato now took on a look of concern. "Have either of you heard from or seen Shinji and Asuka? They haven't come home from school yet, and I'm a little worried."  
  
Toji handed her his binoculars. "See for yourself."  
  
"Huh?" Curious, Misato took them from the dark-haired boy and leaned forward a bit as she viewed her two charges eating together at a table.  
  
"So why are you two over here, spying on them?" she asked.  
  
"Well...they're...on a date."  
  
Misato felt surprised by the idea as she handed the binocs back to Toji. "You're kidding..."  
  
"Not at all!" Kensuke exclaimed as he set his attention back to the couple. "They've been here ever since Shinji's lesson."  
  
"I see..." Misato stated as she took in the information. Then she got an idea. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." She then turned and headed outside, nearly colliding into a bystander in the process.  
  
After a few minutes' time, the Major came back with her own hi-tech scopes and joined in on watching the date with Shinji's friends.  
  
"It's not too surprising that Asuka decided to take a more proactive approach.." the purple-haired beauty noted. "So, who else is in on this, anyway?"   
  
"Feels like everybody but Shinji's aware of it..." was Kensuke's reply. "And that includes Ayanami."  
  
"Rei knows?" was Misato's reply, easily in disbelief as she kept a close eye on the two children she both commanded and guarded. "How'd she find out?"  
  
The two boys were hesitant to answer. Misato quickly noticed this and guessed something to be amiss.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked them.  
  
"No, not at all," Kensuke interjected. "But, to answer your question..."  
  
"We're the ones who told her!" Toji blurted out.  
  
Another moment of being taken aback in what seemed to be an endless stream for Misato today. "Really? I wouldn't figure you two to be the type that would go looking her up."  
  
"It wasn't like that..." Toji explained. "We just...happened to meet, that's all...shortly before coming here."  
  
"And how did she take it?"   
  
"She didn't seem to be upset," Kensuke replied, "but, then again, it's hard to understand Ayanami at times...no offense."  
  
Misato couldn't help but feel the same. "None taken. She is a bit of an enigma, isn't she?"  
  
Neither student said anything after that, so she let her voice trail off as the three of them kept further watch on the unsuspecting duo. In the meantime, Misato halfheartedly patted her jacket with one hand to comfirm that her cell phone was still with her, deciding to have a little fun of her own soon if things didn't get interesting on their own...  
  
-------End of Chapter Five  
  
Post-Chapter Notes: Not much to talk about this time. However, I hereby deeply apologize to all whom have come to read and enjoy these writings for taking so damned long to continue. There is absolutely no excuse for this whatsoever, and I can only make extreme efforts so as not to let it happen again. I personally have read stories I would have liked to seen continued that ceased to do such, so I know how it can feel on that particular end.  
  
As for getting characters other than the three pilots involved as part of the developing triangle, be it in a direct manner or otherwise, I cannot remember if it was a part of the original plan. Creation of a general scheme or idea is simple, yet forging and carving out the details can become troublesome, which easily became one reason for the lengthy delay, along with net troubles.   
  
At the very least, a good portion of the cast has been thrown in, even if in few scenes. So might good ol' Kaji make himself seen here? Perhaps. And do you know whom the 'voice' is that spoke to Shinji during lunchtime? If not, that's fine, for thanks to my usage of backstory to explain certain thoughts, feelings, and events, all shall be revealed in due time.  
  
Looking towards the next chapter, what is one to expect?  
  
-Might the three novice espionage agents be discovered or caught by the confident redhead and her unusually spaced-out date?  
  
-Just what sort of "fun" is Misato planning?   
  
-And, of course, what will dear Rei Ayanami think of all this?  
  
That, and hopefully more, to come in the next chapter: The Heart's Yearning 


End file.
